Second Building Offers Unique Features, NET Lab, Multipurpose Space
PRINCE FREDERICK, Md.—The College of Southern Maryland dedicated its newest building Sept. 10 at the Prince Frederick Campus. Building B adds 30,000 square feet of space with 3,000 square feet dedicated to a multipurpose room for hosting conferences, lectures, cultural events and concerts, and 3,000 square feet dedicated to the Center for Nuclear Energy Training.
“We are so excited to celebrate with you a community gem,” said CSM President Dr. Brad Gottfried to state and local legislators, members of the community, and CSM faculty and staff gathered for the dedication ceremony. “We’ve been waiting a long time for this building. It’s been the topic of much conversation, much imagination, much dreaming. It’s how we, as a college, can work with the community to improve Southern Maryland, and especially Calvert County. We put up many buildings over the past many years, this one we are really excited about,” said Gottfried about the first building to be LEED-certified for the college.
Environment-friendly features as well as those that help reduce operating expenses in the future have been incorporated for pursuing LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification are included throughout the facility.
“The building is designed to meet at least silver level certification but we are trying for gold status,” said CSM Vice President Dr. Richard Fleming, who as dean of the Prince Frederick Campus served as a project lead for this construction. “This will be only the second LEED-certified building in Calvert County. The building is currently being commissioned and so it will be several months before we have our final certification. The features of the building include the only green roofs in Calvert County which help with water runoff and energy efficiency. All of the HVAC and electrical systems are computer-controlled so the building is constantly monitoring itself and making automatic changes in energy and lighting usage and in air quality control. The building uses recycled materials and, almost all of the construction waste is recycled.”
“From the Energy Administration’s perspective we could talk about the LEED certification of the building, we could talk about all the energy efficiency measures, but the reality for me personally are the amazing, amazing jobs that are going to come from all the students that are going to matriculate through here and go on and represent the county and the region well,” said Maryland Energy Administration Chief of Staff Devon Dodson, who brought greetings to the ceremony from Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. “Economic growth for this county is critical. It is critical for the entire state. Something like this beautiful showcase building is going to attract students not only from Calvert and the region but from all over Maryland.”
“The trustees see the potential of the college [and the] opportunity to increase the ability of our students to succeed,” said CSM Board of Trustees Chair Michael L. Middleton. “We are a major economic engine for Southern Maryland and we are the number-one provider of career programs and training.”
Middleton cited statistics that indicate the average income at the career midpoint of someone with an associate’s degree in Maryland is 35 percent more than a student with a high school diploma. “As your community banker I have a couple statistics for you,” said Middleton, who is chairman and chief executive officer of Community Bank of the Tri County. “CSM is a wonderful return on investment. Every student who invests in tuition here has a 15 percent return on investment with their earnings potential. The average rate of return for state and local governments [who invest in CSM] is well over 10 percent.”
In the last five years, the average tuition increases among CSM and Maryland’s 16 other community colleges averaged 2.6 percent a year, said State Senator Roy P. Dyson (District 29), who added that he had to double check the information because it sounded so low compared with increases seen in public and private four-year schools in Maryland. Dyson said when considering the average tuitions for public and private bachelor-degree colleges, “If you send your children here, your grandchildren, per year they are going to save $7,800 a year.”
“If you want to see how far this college has come, take a ride down to Broomes Island and take a look at that building,” said Delegate Anthony “Tony” J. O’Donnell (District 29C) referring to the previous facility of the Community College at Calvert County. “We’re looked upon at the state level as a model of how to do things right,” O’Donnell said of the transformation to a regional community college.
“This school means a lot to a lot of people,” said Calvert County Board of County Commissioners President Pat Nutter, who added that after considering colleges as far away as Hawaii, his granddaughter chose to come to CSM first and will graduate this winter with an associate’s degree before transferring in-state to complete a bachelor’s degree.
Jonathan Varesko, of Leonardtown, the first CSM graduate of the Nuclear Engineering Technology (NET) Program to be hired at a nuclear plant located outside of Southern Maryland, said that he was proud to be the one to break ground in proving the value of the national credential he earned as part of the program.
“During the summer between school years, I had the opportunity along with the other NET students to intern for six weeks at Calvert Cliffs as part of the program. Driving under the 500 kV high lines every morning and looking across the switchyard at the two containment buildings in the distance was invigorating and sent chills down my spine. For the first time in 22 years, I was going to a job I wanted to be at,” said Varesko.
“Calvert County is just a great place to develop a workforce,” said George Gellrich, site vice president of Constellation Energy Nuclear Group LLC (CENG), Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant.
Gellrich outlined the collaboration between CENG, CSM, county commissioners and elected officials in training students in nuclear engineering technology. “We saw what was important and we created it. And the result is people like Jonathan. The folks we’ve hired down at the plant are a really high caliber,” said Gellrich, who added that the students have the technical skill, the critical thinking skills and dedication.
Following the ceremony, representatives of CSM and CENG gathered in the CNET lab to recognize CENG for its donations to develop the college’s NET associate’s degree programs, a welding lab at CSM’s Center for Trades and Energy Training (CTET) in Waldorf, and student scholarships. In support of CENG’s partnership with CSM, Day & Zimmerman was also recognized for their pledge of $40,000 for scholarships for NET students over a five-year period ending in 2014.
The Prince Frederick Campus opened with its Flagship Building in 2005, and as of fall 2012 had experienced more than 38.6 percent growth in the number of students enrolled at the campus.
Gottfried told Calvert County Commissioners in attendance, Nutter, Jerry Clark, Susan Shaw, Evan K. Slaughenhoupt, Jr. and Steve Weems, that when he first saw the Flagship Building on the campus it took his breath away. It is now joined by an equally magnificent building, said Gottfried.
"The second building gives the Prince Frederick Campus more of a 'look and feel' of a college campus,” Gottfried said. “This building could not have been built without the enthusiastic support of our Calvert County Commissioners. They have embraced CSM and understand the valuable contributions it makes to the citizens of the county."
For information on CSM, visit http://www.csmd.edu.
To view photos from the dedication, visit http://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/prinbdedication.
Source: CSM