Bishop State is excited to announce it will soon construct an Advanced Manufacturing Center and an Allied Health facility on its Main campus located in downtown Mobile. The Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees approved the college's resolution to purchase bonds which will allow the college to move forward with several projects on campus. The additions and upgrades are designed to help the college meet the workforce needs of the community by training students for the high-wage and high-demand careers in Mobile County and beyond!
Advanced Manufacturing Center
"I used to hear all the time 'Bishop State is a gold mine!'" says Bishop State's President Dr. Reginald Sykes. "Now we are finally
stepping up to the plate doing what the community expects us to do when it comes to workforce training." The current administration building will be repurposed into the Advanced Manufacturing Center. The center will be nearly 80,000 sqft of training space that will house programs including industrial maintenance, electronics engineering technology, additive and subtractive manufacturing, pipefitting technology, and fluid power technology. There will also be an area within the center specifically for process technology.
"There is really no known center in the state that does process technology at the level this center is going to," says the newly-hired dean of workforce and economic development, David Felton. "With the coast having all of these process, chemical, cement, pulp and paper plants, and things of that nature, this will be pretty special to help pull students in."
Bishop State leaders are meeting and partnering with business and industries throughout the state to ensure the facility is filled with state-of-the-art equipment and is built so students learn the skills needed in today's workplace.
Allied Health Facility
Bishop State's health-related professions will soon be moving. The current library on the Main campus will be renovated and repurposed to house the new allied health facility which will include the nursing, physical therapist assistant, and health information technology programs. These programs are currently located on the Bishop State Central campus, about a mile away from the Main campus. The facility will feature top-of-the-line simulation labs, additional classroom labs, and a better overall environment to accompany Bishop State's already high performing allied health programs. In 2017, Bishop State’s ADN program had a 94% NCLEX pass rate for first-time exam writers. The college’s practical nursing (LPN) program had a 91% NCLEX pass rate. Both scores are well above the minimum of 80%.
Parking Garage Rehabilitation
Renovations to the parking garage (attached to the Business Technology Center) will soon be underway in the spring of this year. Structural improvements will be made, proper lighting will be added, and the exterior facade of the structure will be enhanced.
Land Purchase
Bishop State recently purchased the property across the
street from the college (right beside Dollar Tree) and will transform it to be the "gateway to Bishop State". When drivers turn the corner on Broad Street headed toward the college, they will know they have entered into Wildcat Territory!
Groundbreaking Ceremony
The college is working to plan a groundbreaking ceremony. Stay tuned for more details on when it will be held.
