TAYLORVILLE – Dee Krueger said it felt like she was working in “a dungeon” for 19 years.
The director of Lincoln Land’s Taylorville campus, Krueger said the building was an antique with an inefficient layout. (Edit A)
“The halls were too narrow, it wasn’t a learning environment at all,” Krueger said.
About two years ago, Lincoln Land decided it was time to make a change on the Taylorville front and started making plans. The college recently unveiled the $1.9 million renovations.
The updates include renovating the welding lab, a new student services area and a new testing room. The building also got a new façade, giving it a more sleek and modern look.
It added a few windows as well so that the employees don’t feel as though they are being kept in a prison, Krueger said.
One of the changes was the addition of a $45,000 Mac lab. This lab allows students to take Intro to Graphic Design, Intro to Digital Media and Intro to Digital Photography, Krueger said.
These classes will be taught by two teachers from the main campus in Springfield and will allow many students who do not have reliable transportation and day care to come to the Taylorville campus for these important classes.
Krueger said college officials met with architects to assess the needs and workflow: the amount of people in and out of the campus, what times of day things were happening, etc. The architects used the information to create a design that best serves students and staff.
Student Anthony Aldridge had only one complaint. A foosball table that he said was popular among students was removed.
“There just isn’t room for it after the construction,” Krueger said.
But the students now have a building that looks like you have just stepped into the main Lincoln Land campus with more facilities and room to offer more than 100 courses on the campus.
Krueger said the college is now working to improve the visibility of the school in the community.
“They know we’re here,” Krueger said. “I just don’t know if they know how much we are here. We offer over 100 classes and we are growing constantly. More and more professors have been coming down from the main campus, and we are always looking to grow our enrollment.”
By Lukas Myers
Staff Writer
Lukas Myers can be reached at [email protected].