Faculty, staff and students today celebrated the groundbreaking of Northwest Vista College’s new Welcome Center and Parking Garage. This milestone event marks the first time in 10 years since NVC had added any new structures to its campus, despite the population growth on the far Northwest Side leads any other part in the city.
In 2017, Bexar County voters approved a $450-million bond for all five colleges within the Alamo Colleges District, which allows NVC to construct a new Welcome Center and Parking Garage.
The modern 50,000-square-foot Welcome Center, designed by Alamo Architects, will be strategically located between Live Oak Hall and the college’s outer loop road, Wender Way, to create a “front door” to the campus.
“Having a Welcome Center is critical. When you have a Welcome Center, it gives students a place to hang out for the day and makes them feel at home,” said Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio. “At the end of day, a college needs to create a feeling of community and (NVC’s) Welcome Center is coming at the right time.”
To see the full Menendez quote, go here.
The goal of the Welcome Center is to accommodate future enrollment of 20,000 students. The building will encompass innovative technologies to include: an appointment system and virtual sign-in to decrease or eliminate wait lines; virtual way-finding to guide students through the buildings and services; and mobile apps and technologies to increase adaptive learning and student experience. The construction will also include a connecting four-story parking garage with over 334,000 square feet of space.
“Creating a collaborative space and incorporating new technologies into the student support processes will enhance our services and personalize the student experience,” said NVC President Dr. Ric Baser.
NVC opened its doors in 1995 with 2 students and reached a record 16,793 students in the fall of 2016, making it the third largest college campus in the city. Since that time, Northside School District has seen 87 percent growth, from 56,385 students to 105,856 for the 2018-19 school year.
Located in Westover Hills, Northwest Vista College is surrounded by many businesses and new companies relocating their headquarters to the area near the college, leading to additional growth and career possibilities for potential graduates. The college sits on 123 acres of scenic land and has a massive man-made lake in the middle of the campus.
“The groundbreaking of Northwest Vista College’s new Welcome Center sets in motion the construction of a state-of-the-art Student Success building that will have many of the services that students depend on throughout their educational journey to a certificate and degree attainment,” said NVC Vice President for Student Success, Debi Gaitan. “The new Welcome Center will be a tremendous addition to our beautiful college campus and existing facilities.”
The two-story Welcome Center will have Student Success support centers that include:
- Welcome & Admissions
- Advising
- Testing
- Financial Aid
- Business Services
- Veteran’s Affairs
- Counseling
- Services to Students with Disabilities
- Student Records
