NICEVILLE — Northwest Florida State College will host a grand opening and open house Wednesday at its new Activities Center.
The event, which is open to the public, will be held from 1 to 3 p.m.
The renovation of the 31,675-square-foot building, which was previously known as the College Mall, is the final phase of a $25.5 million project that included the construction of the three-story Student Services Center.
“The Activities Center … houses the college’s Academic Success Center, a college store operated by Barnes & Noble, and the college’s Student Activities program,” NWFSC President Ty Handy said in an email to the Daily News on Monday. “Offices of Florida’s Great Northwest, an independent economic development organization, are also located in the Activities Center.”
The Academic Success Center provides students with free tutoring and other academic support.
“In just the last five years, we’ve seen an 83 percent increase in the number of student visits to our Academic Success Center — more than 16,000 recorded visits in 2011-12 alone,” Handy added.
The new bookstore, which is already open, features a Barnes & Noble café serving Starbucks Coffee, an extensive technology section and used and new textbooks.
The new building also houses the offices for more than 30 active student groups.
“Student Activities are a vital part of engaging the student in college life and activities that enrich their lives and shape them as individuals and citizens,” Handy said.
Those programs include student government, intramural sports, social clubs and academic groups.
The grand opening also will include the dedication of the new Janet Nadel Morell conference room, which is located in the Costa Leadership Institute on the third floor of the adjacent Student Services Center. Morell, a resident of Niceville, died in 2004, and family members established an endowment in her name. Earnings from the endowment will provide funds for equipment, instruction and program needs of the leadership institute.
Parking at the grand opening event is available in the lots adjacent to the Student Services Center.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: NWF State College activities center grand opening is tomorrow