The school is also growing internally, as there are two new degree offerings and a new advanced technical certificate program. Construction has also started on the new IT Center on the Preston Ridge campus in Frisco.
Here is an update on where these projects and services stand, according to Kirk Dickey, marketing and communications coordinator for Collin College.
New campuses
The three new campuses are expected to open by the end of 2021. Each will offer academic transfer courses and various campus-specific programs.
The 300,000-square-foot Wylie campus is slated to open in fall 2020. Planned programs at the campus will include classes in business management; education; fine arts; health sciences; hospitality management; real estate; and science, technology, engineering and math.
Officials broke ground on the 96,000-square-foot Celina campus in January ahead of its projected fall 2021 opening. The campus will initially offer classes in business management, information technology, health professions, and computer-aided drafting and design.
“Celina is one of the fastest-growing cities in the area,” Collin College District President Neil Matkin said in a news release announcing the groundbreaking. “We are thrilled to bring higher education to northwestern Collin County, and we could not do this without our strong partnerships with Celina leaders.”
In addition to classrooms, the campus will include a library, computer labs, science labs and student enrollment services.
The new 52,000-square-foot Farmersville campus is also expected to open in fall 2021. The campus will offer business management, logistics and supply chain management, computer systems and new workforce programs.
IT Center construction
Construction for the IT Center at Collin College’s Preston Ridge campus began in January.
The facility is slated to be 92,000 square feet with multiple classrooms and lab spaces for computer networking, cybersecurity, computer systems, computer science and geospatial information systems, said Toni Jenkins, senior vice president for campus operations for Collin College.
“It’s all very high-tech,” she said. “The labs are going to really help students be able to simulate work environments in these high-tech industries.”
Completion of the IT Center is slated for August 2021, Jenkins said.
New degree offerings
Beginning in 2020, students can pursue two new degree programs. One allows registered nurses to work toward a Bachelor of Science in nursing degree, and the other is a four-year degree program in applied technology in cybersecurity.
RN-to-BSN students can schedule all clinical requirements to fit their schedule and can earn a Sigma Theta Tau nurse manager certificate.
Surgical assisting program
The Collin College Surgical Assisting Program received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs in January. It is the only accredited program in Texas and one of 12 in the nation. Students in the program can work toward an advanced technical certificate at the McKinney campus.
“The first semester of the program entirely is spent on learning how to sew and tie knots in wound healing and hemostasis,” the program’s director Donna R. Smith said. “[Students learn to] stand across from a surgeon and now be that extra set of hands throughout the entire surgical procedure.”
The program includes classroom instruction and clinical training in preparation for the national exam. While the first two classes had seven students each, Smith expects that number to grow following the recent hire of another full-time faculty member for the program.
