When Modesto Junior College's fall semester classes begin on August 30, many students, faculty and staff will become "village people" - occupants of "Pirates' Village" that is! MJC's busiest instructional building is closed for renovation and to make this possible, Founders Hall classes and occupants have been relocated for the 2010-11 academic year, most of them to a complex of 39 modular buildings, dubbed “Pirates’ Village.” This complex is located in Parking Lot 108 immediately west of the Electronics, Journalism and Classroom Annex buildings on East Campus. To view a layout of Pirates' Village click here! Maps and directional signage for Pirates' Village are being designed and will be installed prior to the start of the fall semester. An information booth will also be available in the Village during the first week of the semester to assist students in finding their classrooms.
The Village, which is almost ready for occupancy, will take the place of approximately 75% of the closed down instructional space in Founders, with the remaining 25% accommodated by efficient scheduling and the temporary utilization of four classrooms in the Mary Stuart Rogers Student Learning Center on West Campus. All of the temporary classrooms will offer the same level of technological support currently offered in Founders’ smart classrooms. Faculty will be provided office space in the temporary classrooms, in other buildings on East Campus, or on West Campus.
Ease of transition, particularly for MJC students, is a concern in the development of renovation plans. The Writing Center, Math Drop-in Center, STAR Lab, and PLACE Lab will continue to offer support to students in Pirates' Village, and all of the computer labs that existed in Founders are being relocated and will be available to students in the fall semester. A team of faculty, staff, administrators, architects, a student representative, and Kitchell Corporation have been focused on this project since 2004 when voters approved Measure E. They gave careful consideration to the location and proximity of restrooms and parking spaces, as well as lighting, security, heating and cooling, and network infrastructure.
The Division Offices of Business, Behavioral, and Social Sciences and Literature and Language Arts have taken up temporary residence in the west side of the Journalism Building and the Journalism Program will be in the Art Building for fall 2010 and spring 2011. Most of the summer 2010 courses typically offered in Founders Hall are now being offered on West Campus.
After Founders Hall reopens, three departments and faculty offices will remain in Pirates’ Village until the opening of the High Tech Center in 2014. Administration of Justice, Anthropology, and Geography courses will reside in the modular buildings near the Classroom Annex during the renovation of the Science Building into the High Tech Center.
Founders Hall, constructed in 1971, has been a bustling center of instruction at MJC for 39 years, and currently encompasses 34 classrooms, 95 offices, and some 13 computer labs and learning centers. Located on the south side of MJC's East Campus, the two-story building contains a total of 74,286 square feet, making it MJC's largest instructional facility - at least until the new Science Community Center is completed on West Campus in 2013.
Founders' classrooms, computer labs and offices are undergoing the $12 million dollar renovation thanks to funding by Measure E bonds. The end result will be a refreshed hub of instruction boasting larger faculty offices and classrooms, reconfigured computer labs and learning centers, an additional elevator, new flooring and wall and ceiling finishes, and expanded restrooms all with ADA accessibility. The project includes ventilation and lighting improvements, classroom modernization and reconfiguration to the floor plan to make better use of existing space.
Renovation plans drafted up by the Lionakis architectural firm have been reviewed and approved by the Division of the State Architect (DSA) and the project is currently out to bid. Once a construction firm has been selected, Founders' long overdue overhaul will take about 12 months, with completion estimated in August 2011.
