Dyersburg State breaks ground on new learning resource center/Tipton County library | Community Spirit

Despite the rain, community leaders, state officials, members of the Tennessee Board of Regents along with members of the Dyersburg State Community College administration, student body, faculty and staff gathered on Wednesday, November 16 at the DSCC Jimmy Naifeh Center at Tipton County to celebrate the ground breaking for the new Learning Resource Center/Student Center and Tipton County Public Library.

Before the actual ground breaking, State Representative and Speaker Emeritus Jimmy Naifeh, Tennessee Board of Regents Chancellor John Morgan, State Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, State Representative Minority Leader Craig Fitzhugh, State Senator Roy Herron, Tipton County Executive Jeff Huffman, Covington Mayor David Gordon, DSCC President Karen Bowyer, and DSCC Foundation Board Immediate Past Chair David Hayes each spoke on the history and the importance of the project to the more than 200 gathered in the auditorium in the Academic Building.

“Several of us have dreamed of a new facility which includes the DSCC Learning Resource Center and the Tipton County Public Library at the DSCC Jimmy Naifeh Center at Tipton County.  The ground breaking ceremony signals the beginning of this new structure which is scheduled for completion by fall of 2013. It will provide much needed space for our students.  This new space includes computer classrooms and labs; an enhanced student tutoring lab; study rooms; an activities space with table tennis, pool and Wii exercise programs.  It will also house Student Government offices,” said DSCC President Karen Bowyer.

After their remarks, 26 representatives from the state legislature, the Tennessee Board of Regents, local government, the community, the college, the library board met outside to lift the first shovels of wet dirt.

Special participants in the ground breaking were Ryan, Micah, Parker, Isaac and Ethan Brown. Altogether these children have checked out 8,670 books from the Tipton County Public Library.

The project is a special collaboration between Tipton County government and DSCC. By sharing library and learning resource center facilities, the college and the community will underscore the importance of lifelong learning. As a part of the planning, representatives from Dyersburg State did extensive research by contacting 12 join-use libraries across the country to learn how this type of facility has been successfully executed in design, operations and programming.

Actual construction work is scheduled to begin in the spring, and the building is expected to be completed in the fall of 2013.  Jim Boggan of the firm McGehee, Nicholson, Burke, PA is the project architect.

Funding for the project was provided by the special capital outlay for community college approved by the Tennessee General Assembly in its 2010 session.  The funding was made available to address the enrollment growth at DSCC.  The Tennessee Board of Regents approved the project in December of 2010.

For more information about the ground breaking ceremony, please contact Beverlee Weatherly at 731/286-3300 or weatherley@dscc.edu.