Preliminary Construction Activities Underway for New Student Services Building at MiraCosta College

The state-of-the-art facility will centralize student services and provide an expansive new home for the Veterans Center; completion is expected in fall 2023

​
​Grading and other early-phase construction activities are underway for the future new Student Services Building at MiraCosta College.

The expansive, state-of-the-art facility will consolidate student services functions scattered throughout the campus to a single, one-stop-shop comprising more than 39,000 square feet. Located at the former Pedley Park site, the new building is strategically located as a gateway building for the campus, providing a much-needed sense of entry and easy wayfinding for new or prospective students.

The building will also provide a new home for MiraCosta’s Veterans Center, providing academic counseling, career services, a food pantry, free tutoring, assistance to military veterans with processing paperwork, getting coursework certified for GI Bill benefits, and more.

The Veterans Center will also benefit from $1.5 million in state funding awarded to help equip and furnish a lounge and resource area in the Center, among other enhancements.

“We are very excited about what this new facility will mean for improving students’ experiences on campus,” explains Alketa Wojcik, Vice President of Student Services. “This will be a gateway building for us, greeting visitors and students as soon as they enter the campus and meeting student needs from application all the way to graduation, transfer, and careers. It’s designed to feel welcoming and inclusive to represent our students and our community. The layout is very intuitive, with our key student services departments visible and easily accessible as soon as you step inside. No longer will students have to go from one building to another to get the services they need.”

The facility will promote safe and easy access and entry from the street level for visitors and campus promenade level for current students.

The $62.1 million facility will include several unique design features:

• A dramatic exterior staircase and an adjacent elevator will lead visitors from the plaza through a covered promenade and into the building
• Operable glass walls will enhance the ability to integrate the outdoor gardens and gathering areas with the indoor spaces
• The park-like setting will feature extensive native species and drought-tolerant plantings
• High-efficiency fixtures will be used throughout
• Exterior and interior finishes will feature eco-friendly materials with warm colors that complement Oceanside’s natural coastal sage scrub habitats

Significant grading activities are now underway. The building portion of the design is in review with the Division of State Architect (DSA); approval is expected this fall, 2021. Swinerton and the DLR Group serve as the design-build partnership leading the project, expected to be complete in fall 2023.

Visuals/Media Availability:

• Early phase construction activities, including grading
• Renderings
• Interviews are available with MCCD Superintendent/President, Dr. Sunita Cooke, MCCD Board President Rick Cassar, and members of the project design and construction teams upon request
• Spanish speakers available upon request
• Photos of the construction site are available

The program and construction manager for the capital improvement program is Kitchell Capital Expenditures Manager (CEM), in association with Element Consulting, Inc., and Vic Salazar Communications.

Detailed information about all of the District’s Capital Improvement projects is available for public review through the Capital Improvement Dashboard on the MCCD website. The Dashboard provides build-out details, financial performance, and project schedule performance.

About MiraCosta College
The MiraCosta Community College District has served the coastal North San Diego County area for over 80 years. More than 19,000 credit students annually in over 70 disciplines enroll in associate degrees, university transfer and workforce readiness certificate programs. The college also serves over 7,000 students a wide spectrum of educational needs in the region ranging from programs for adult education, community education, basic skills, and ESL to a California Community College pilot program offering the nation’s first baccalaureate degree in biomanufacturing. As a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), veteran and military supportive institution, and Achieving the Dream Leader College, MiraCosta College fosters the academic and holistic success of its diverse learners within a caring and equitable environment to strengthen the educational, economic, cultural, and social well-being of the communities it serves. MiraCosta College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).