By Brian Shane

Staff Writer

Wor-Wic Community College is planning for a $55 million capital project that not only would see construction of a dedicated student center on campus, but would introduce the school’s first-ever athletic department.

“The vision for the building is to be a holistic environment for students’ well-being – making them comfortable belonging on campus, making spaces for student clubs and activities,” said Jennifer Sandt, Vice President for Administrative Services. “We really want to give the student a hub, a place to go when they’re not in classes. We hope it becomes the heart of the campus.”

At an estimated 70,000 square feet, the future Student Success and Wellness Center may end up being the largest building on campus, she added.

Students will have input on what the building will used for and may look like inside, Sandt noted, right down to the furniture.

Plans for now are calling for various gathering spaces, from lounges to cozy cubby holes, to breakaway study rooms. Other areas would be reserved for student clubs and support services.

Office space would be reserved for campus staff and employees in the areas of mental health and disabilities services, student success, events, and public safety.

A multipurpose room and stage with a capacity of 200-300 people could house campus activities, or host outside groups having their own events. Additional areas would include a new school bookstore, a concessions area and catering kitchen, and a dedicated room for competitive online gaming, or e-sports.

Not only will the student center house a workout space and locker rooms, but the project will include construction of a multipurpose gym and outdoor field with a track – paving the way for competitive athletics to emerge at Wor-Wic for the first time in its almost 50-year history.

Sports under consideration include soccer, lacrosse, golf, track & field, basketball, and volleyball. The school will have to join a league, hire an athletic director and coaches, and consider funding for teams and transportation. The new athletic department would get their own dedicated office space as well.

Wor-Wic is the only community college in Maryland that does not field athletic teams, according to Sandt. For now, the school is looking at founding some intramural teams and club sports, and student will be surveyed for which sports interest them most, she added.

“We don’t have any recreation space on campus,” Sandt said. “We have a half-gym, but it’s really used by our criminal justice department for their programming. It’s available to students but only for a few hours a week. It’s more of a criminal justice lab than recreation space.”

The project is estimated to cost $55 million. Funding would be shared by the state, Wicomico County, and Worcester County. While the state will pay for 75 percent, the remaining 25 percent is shared between the counties, based on which county has more students attending. Wicomico would pay about 2.5 times more than Worcester, per Wor-Wic’s last five years of pro-rated enrollment, Sandt said.

The college is now in the process of submitting formal capital improvement plan requests to the counties: Worcester County is being asked to contribute $3.78 million, and Wicomico County is being asked for $9.97 million.

Each county’s share will help fund engineering and design, construction, and equipment and furnishings. Those requests would be fulfilled in fiscal years 2028-2030.

The Baltimore-based firm of Whiteman, Requart and Associates is helping Wor-Wic compile its planning documentation and a preliminary needs report, which then will be submitted to the state by March 2025, according to Sandt.

Then, a long wait: the state won’t reveal until early 2027 whether funding is approved. The school would then hire an architect, and schedule ground-breaking for July 2027. If all goes to plan, the student center would open its doors by June 2030, Sandt said.

Wor-Wic’s last major construction project was the 50,000 square foot Patricia and Alan Guerrieri Technology Center, which opened in April 2023 at a cost of $36 million.