Joliet Junior College is moving forward with plans to vastly expand its Romeoville campus.
The plan seeks to add to the campus’ existing 35,000 square feet with an additional 48,000 square feet of new classrooms and student support space, according to spokeswoman Kelly Rohder.
The Romeoville campus expansion’s aim is to offer a growing student body more educational choices, as well as the opportunity to complete an associate’s degree just by attending classes in Romeoville, Rohder said.
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The $11.8 million Romeoville expansion will be funded via bond issuance and a $4-per-credit-hour increase, both of which were approved last year.
The expansion comes as the college continues to see a rise in enrollment.
The Romeoville campus, in the 1100 block of West Romeo Road, has seen a 45 percent increase in enrollment over the past decade, Rohder said, with the campus now serving about 4,000 students.
Officials held two community meetings last month to show the community its plans to expand the Romeoville campus as well as a plan to expand the main campus, two initiatives that are “priority projects” in the college’s master plan, Rohder said.
Community input has also been collected via surveys and focus groups, she said.
Romeoville’s campus currently offers different credit and non-credit courses, Rohder said.
“The expansion will allow the college to offer more class options in addition to space to offer key student support series in the areas of admissions, counseling, career services, tutoring and testing centers, computer labs, and food service and a bookstore,” she said. “There is also a plan for a larger multipurpose room for student clubs and the community to use.”
The college expects to break ground on the expansion next year and open its doors to students in the fall of 2017, Rohder said.
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