Rendering of the Carroll Campus addition

Construction begins this week on a $4.2 million expansion of the Carroll Campus of Des Moines Area Community College that will bring several career and technical training programs under one roof. 

DMACC administrators and Carroll community leaders on Tuesday hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at the campus to celebrate the expansion project, which will add 11,700 square feet of laboratory and classroom space, along with an indoor commons area. 

“This campus expansion offers an exciting opportunity to bring needed training programs and state-of-the-art facilities together under one roof,” said Joel Lundstrom, provost of the DMACC Carroll Campus. “We have outgrown our space to teach some career and technical programs and as we were planning for this expansion, we identified additional needs for the building addition. We’re thrilled to start this exciting project.”

The 11,700-square-foot expansion will be located on the northeast side of the Carroll Campus building and will include a welding lab, applied engineering classrooms and lab, new office space for student services, additional study space, and an indoor commons area that can also host community events. 

Lundstrom said the expansion will help the college recruit new students and improve their academic experience.

“By offering a better learning environment along with options for a bachelor’s degree from our university partners, we’re in a very strong position to serve our students and the community for many years to come,” Lundstrom said. The Carroll Campus has 2+2 agreements with the University of Northern Iowa, Buena Vista University and the University of Iowa’s Bachelor of Nursing Program in which students can earn their bachelor’s degree without leaving home.

“The DMACC Carroll Campus is a very important part of the DMACC community,” said Rob Denson, DMACC’s president. “Our vision has been to provide outstanding academic opportunities for students throughout this region and to respond to the needs of businesses by providing a well-trained and educated workforce. This expansion will help us further improve our vital mission here.”

Enrollment at the DMACC Carroll Campus has increased 20% over the past six years. Denson credited the strong leadership of the Carroll Campus, particularly Jim Knott, retired provost for the campus and a current DMACC board member, as well as Lundstrom and many other Carroll residents. 

Badding Construction of Carroll was chosen as the general contractor for the project, which is expected to be completed in August 2021.