Campus almost ‘done deal’

Final approval of a St. Martinville site for the new Evangeline Campus of South Louisiana Community College (SLCC) is still nearly two months away, according to SLCC spokesperson Christine Payton.

In a news release, Payton said the selection of the property near the intersection of Main Highway (Hwy. 31) and Moore Avenue for construction of the 36,000-square-foot, $9.2 million school “is contingent upon a 60-day due diligence period” to give the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) Facilities Corporation time “to inspect and test the property and review the land’s title.”

On April 17, the LCTCS Facilities Corporation accepted the recommendation of its advisory committee to go with the site near the old Martin Mills, now a cane field. Three land proposals were under consideration, two in St. Martinville and one in Breaux Bridge.

The land is being donated by the Levert family.

Final acceptance is up to the LCTCS Board of Supervisors, Payton said.

Meanwhile, the Evangeline Campus’s new administrator, Solomon Tention, is cautioning the community not to put too much store in the school’s bricks and mortar.

“It’ll be a couple of years before the new facility is ready, but my challenge is to build this school in the next couple of months,” Tention said.

“We need to attract students and put them on the path to success,” he said. “That will take a community effort – let’s build this campus.”

Although he is also responsible for the Franklin Campus, Tention said he plans to spend the majority of his time at the existing Evangeline Campus at 600 S. Martin Luther King Dr. in St. Martinville.

“I have an open-door policy,” he said. “If anyone has ideas, suggestions, they can just come see me. They don’t need an appointment.”

On tap at the existing campus this fall are courses in:

•College Success

•Elements of Writing

•Introduction to College Composition

•Adult Education – GED

•Rhetoric and Composition

•Introduction to Business

•Introduction to Anatomy & Physiology

•CNA/Nursing Assistant

•LPN

•Patient Care Tech

•Basic Math

•Intermediate Algebra

•College Algebra

•Introduction to Psychology

•Reading Improvement

•Content Area Reading

•Welding

•Medical Assistant

•Phlebotomy

“The citizens of St. Martinville and the surrounding area deserve the opportunity to have access to academic and workforce training programs that will prepare them for tomorrow’s workforce,” Dr. Natalie Harder, SLCC chancellor, said in the news release.

“We appreciate the collaboration between industry, community, and state leaders on this great investment. We know this new campus will lead to positive outcomes for the people of St. Martinville. ”