RCC and SOU Celebrate Opening of Higher Education Center

Rogue Community College and Southern Oregon University celebrate the opening of a new Higher Education Center.

RCC and SOU have been working for more than a decade to make the project a reality. They say this center will make the transition between community college and the university much easier, and allow working professionals to pursue higher education.

"I'm thrilled, the potential for students and faculty to have this kind of learning environment and work in tandem with the community college," said Mary Cullinan, SOU president.

The new 68,000 square-foot building has three levels, about 30 classrooms, science labs, conference rooms, and business center.

The celebration represented an official welcome of the center to downtown Medford.

"This was a dream of a lot of people in the Rogue Valley. Citizens, educators, legislators, all sorts of people. It's been a decade in the making and it's wonderful to see this finally take shape and open the doors," said Peter Angstadt, RCC president.

The center was built with the latest in sustainable materials and energy saving technologies. Large windows bring in natural light and sensors monitor lighting levels and shut off when lights aren't needed.

"It's really an emblem how much we care about environment in Southern Oregon," said Cullinan.

It will allow students from RCC and SOU to work side by side.

"The thing I treasure the most about the building, is there's no line down building to say this is half RCC and half SOU, they're all mingled together," she said.

They say it's a big investment in Medford's future.

"We've been looking forward to this for a long time," said Medford Mayor Gary Wheeler.

Even though the work on building is done there is still a bit of landscaping work to do, official say it should all be done before school starts on September 29.