Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Osceola Municipal Light & Power Donates $25,000 Toward New ANC Center for Allied Technologies

Osceola Municipal Light & Power presented the Arkansas Northeastern College with a check for $25,000 on Tuesday, November 14, 2017, toward the construction of the College's new Center for Allied Technologies.  Pictured (L to R) Ms. Dorothy Pollock, Osceola City Council Member; Arkansas Northeastern College President Dr. James Shemwell, and Osceola Mayor Dickie Kennemore.

Arkansas Northeastern College’s Center for Allied Technologies project received another boost today as the Osceola Municipal Light & Power Company’s pledge to the facility came to fruition and Mayor Dickie Kennemore presented a check for $25,000 to ANC President Dr. James Shemwell today.

With over 11,000 manufacturing jobs located within Mississippi County, Arkansas, and 3,000 of those jobs in or near the City of Osceola, city officials understand the importance of workforce training and education. Such commitment to workforce development led OML&P to make one of the first pledges toward the ANC Center for Allied Technologies back in 2014.

 “We have major industrial and manufacturing companies located here, and it is extremely important for our workforce to be prepared for such jobs. Arkansas Northeastern College has proven itself as a leader in workforce training and education. We see an investment in ANC as an investment to not only our city, but this region. The new ANC Center for Allied Technologies will enable our local workforce to better train for the types of jobs we have right here at home,” said Osceola Mayor Dickie Kennemore.

For their donation to the new facility, the Osceola Municipal Light & Power Company will have naming rights to the electrical classroom located in the facility.

“The support shown by the Osceola Municipal Light & Power Company in this project represents the kind of countywide partnership that Mississippi County needs if it is going to be successful in the future,” said ANC President Dr. James Shemwell, adding, “Their early backing gave us a sense of validation that what we are trying to do here is crucial to the economic development of the entire county and more. We are so very appreciative of their support.”

Construction of ANC Center for Allied Technologies began in the spring and is scheduled to be completed in time for Fall classes in August 2018.  The facility will provide students with more opportunities to learn in an atmosphere that will simulate real world work environments, where spaces and equipment are designed with the curriculum in mind. This facility will be a focal point for not only the campus, but the community as the 88,000 square foot building will boast beautiful architectural lines with the highest technological advances incorporated into the plans. 

The Center for Allied Technologies, to be located on the ANC Main Campus, will actually decrease the College’s overall facilities by 30,000 square feet by consolidating the Burdette Center, Harry L. Crisp Center, and the Aircraft Metals and Engineering Center—with an estimated costs savings for the College of approximately $100,000 a year in maintenance.  This new facility will feature a headquarters for the College’s customized training force—The Solutions Group, including general purpose classrooms, electrical classroom & lab, mechanical classroom/lab, safety classroom/lab, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Classroom & Laboratory, computer classroom, and large multi-purpose room. Additionally, a world-class welding laboratory will be available for students.


Technical-Secondary Center students from area high schools also will be served by this facility through classroom & laboratories for advanced manufacturing, welding, criminal justice, education, and construction/carpentry.  The design incorporates a computer lab for the Technical-Secondary Center. Also featured is an aircraft complex, combination non-destructive testing (NDT) & composites laboratory, and general purpose classrooms to fully accommodate ANC’s Federal Aviation Administration—certified Aviation Maintenance Program. 

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