The new Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) Health & Life Sciences Building has opened. The building will help future professionals respond to the needs of their community with compassion and curiosity, equipped with the latest technology.

“Research shows there is a shift occurring in education from a traditional to a more creative, active, high-tech, interdisciplinary learning community,” said President Dawn Lindsay at the event. “This building will promote a culture of life-long learning with a focus on student completion, meeting the diverse needs of the community while eliminating the barriers for student success by accommodating a variety of learning styles.”

Highlights of the 175,000-square-foot, three-story state-of-the-art learning environment include:

  • 18 biology labs and 20 health science labs that engage students with industry-standard, hands-on work
  • Space for expansion of the college’s nationally ranked nursing program
  • Computer-controlled manikins that mimic patient conditions
  • Simulation labs for clinical rotations and real-world emergency response practice
  • An environmental center with cutting-edge research contributing to the region’s environmental health
  • A greenhouse and aquaculture labs
  • A white box theater-style area that provides a highly flexible space
  • Varied interprofessional learning spaces to bring more collaboration among similar programs of study

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, construction stayed on track, starting in May 2018 and finishing at the initial end date of June 2021. Costs also stayed on track: AACC was awarded the roughly $8 million design contract to the design firm SmithGroup and the $96.2 million construction project to The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. The equipment and furnishings budget was around $13 million, making the total cost of the county/ state funded project approximately $117 million.