Creekside Center campus is taking shape for college
The Lone Star College System reached a milestone in the construction of its new campus in the Village of Creekside Park with a recent topping out ceremony to celebrate completion of the exterior phase.
Placing a U.S. flag on top of the building as the final piece of steel is hoisted into place represents good luck for the future occupants and a safe build, said Ronnie L. Pickard, executive director of college relations. “Now the steel structures are up and completed. We have this steel skeleton. The next phase is moving into interior construction,” he said.
The campus is at 8747 West New Harmony Trail in The Woodlands and is slated for completion in November.
The 85,000-square-foot planned facility is situated on 15-acres and will offer classrooms and lecture halls for about 3,500
students.
The groundbreaking was held in October.
There are already seven similar centers in the Lone Star College System. Together the campuses offer the amenities of a full campus, but offer an efficient way for students in the area to access classes and technical training.
When it opens, the campus will be poised to serve residents of the south side of The Woodlands, which is where much of the population growth is concentrated in Montgomery County.
“The Woodlands is continuing to grow — and couple that with all the businesses coming to the area and Montgomery County as a whole,” Pickard said.
The Exxon Mobil Corp. has relocated its headquarters to the nearby Springwoods Village development. Southwestern Energy is also moving to the area. A number of other companies are doing the same and each will require a well-trained workforce.
“Creekside will have a diverse number of certification programs that will benefit both traditional and nontraditional students,” Pickard said. “The need for education and training — that is something we are constantly trying to address. We want to keep our fingers on the pulse.”
The campus will offer core academic classes in biology, physics, geology, math and English, as well as workforce education and training.
Pickard said programs will range from petroleum data support and accounting with an oil and gas focus to international business and human resources. Technical training will focus on electrical technology and alternative energy systems.
“We look at the forecast for job growth in certain fields,” Pickard said. “Our students will be ready to go anytime a corporation is in need of new staff members. They’ll already be trained. It will make it several steps easier for the companies.”
Pickard explained that the design of the building will complement the Creekside Park neighborhood.
“The look and architecture is completely different than the others in our system,” he said. “The Creekside design is more of a Craftsman style. It goes hand-in-glove with the vision of The Woodlands Township.”
He said that plans call for the incorporation of technology in the classroom as well as casual gathering areas for class lectures.
“There was an extensive amount of time and thought given to the design,” Pickard said. “A number of individuals traveled to various college campuses, took the best practices and combined them.”
He predicts that the Creekside Center will be a hotspot for students in search of a career change or more training.
“We’re anticipating a substantial enrollment in the first semester,” Pickard said.
He said staff will ideally begin moving into the space by the middle of November, just in time for the beginning of classes in the spring semester.
In the meantime, a website and Facebook page offer updates on the site. “We want to create awareness that Creekside is coming,” Pickard said.
Lee Ann Nutt, president of Lone Star College-Tomball, the managing college for Creekside Center, said the area population served by the Lone Star College System has been growing.
“The population within Lone Star College boundaries increased by 176,000 residents since 2010, which is more people than 39 states added during the same time period — for an average of 44,000 residents per year,” she said. “An additional 242,000 people are expected to increase the region’s population to 2.55 million by 2019.”
She added that the area school districts have also experienced tremendous growth — and that 25 percent of local high school graduates attend Lone Star College.
“There is ongoing demand for easy access to our college and additional degreed and certification programs,” Nutt said. “Our enrollment growth is exceeding population growth, an indication that we have quality programs and the right programs.”
She said that there has been expansion of businesses, residential developments and educational facilities in the Creekside Park area, including several new Tomball ISD schools.
Nutt said the college system’s office of workforce education and corporate partnerships uses advisory councils data analysis on area job postings and focus groups to determine workforce demands and needed competencies.
“The process includes external input from industry leaders and internal reviews to determine the best location,” she said. “It is important to ensure we meet demand without unnecessary duplication of costs such as equipment.”
Nutt explained that Creekside Center will have a significant emphasis of course offerings that support the oil and gas industry.
“Access to white-collar workforce education as well as academic transfer courses has been a principal consideration as we are developing the new center’s course offerings,” she said. “In turn, area students, residents and businesses will have the opportunity to capitalize on unique training to meet a substantial demand for a skilled and ready workforce. Additionally, we will have a multipurpose room that can be utilized by the community.”