Sauk Valley Community College students get a breath of fresh air in new outdoor learning space

DIXON – Sauk Valley Community College over the past few years has been working to create an outdoor multipurpose space for its students.

Vice President of Business Services Kent Sorenson said that about three years ago, SVCC leadership started working to create a campus grounds master plan that would encompass the entire property and would include roadwork, foliage and an outdoors classroom and study space at the back of the college, which sits along the scenic Rock River.

The resulting classroom features an outside stage, several hammocks, a traveling artists’ display, new seating, tables and a nearby student coffee bar.

Vice President of Academics and Student Services Jon Mandrell said that the college had longed for an opportunity to revitalize its riverfront space, and it was just a matter of where and when to do it.

“I think the biggest outcome of the project was to revitalize the space, capitalizing the riverfront use, but then also to create a multipurpose space,” Mandrell said. “You can come out here, study, have performances and classroom presentations.”

The outdoor classroom features stone bench-style seating; several black pillars equipped with power outlets for students to charge their electronic devices; and three large whiteboards for instructors, one of which has a reddish tint to reduce sun glare.

“We’ve had a lot of our first-year experience courses go out here, especially in the fall at the beginning of the semester, and being able to showcase that,” SVCC Vice President of Advancement Lori Cortez said. “It’s a really cool learning space for our students.”

Willett, Hofmann & Associates of Dixon is the project’s main architecture and engineering firm. It suggested that SVCC connect with Ayres & Associates due to its expertise in landscape design, and Ayres & Associates eventually joined the project as a subconsultant. Input also was gathered from faculty, staff and students.

“Furniture is always a really big topic with our students,” Mandrell said. “It seems like as we do remodels around campus, they’re very interested in furniture. They’re very interested in power sources, ease and access to the building.”

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The new outdoor stage and seating at Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon is shown. (Brandon Clark)

SVCC leadership took student feedback to heart, adding new outdoor seating along with vibrant red hammocks near three art displays – featuring sculptures by artists from across the country – which change yearly. A fourth display is reserved for a yet-to-be-selected artist from the Sauk community.

“We’re really trying to make this the one place where students want to come,” Sorenson said. “So, there’s a coffee shop right inside.”

The Skyhawk Coffee Bar provides students with various snacks and caffeinated beverages to help fuel them through lectures and study sessions. Students can access the cafe from inside the college and then walk outside to the new multipurpose outdoor space, which also features a stage for performances and student activities and engagement.

“We know that students who engage on campus have a higher GPA, have a higher graduation rate and have higher success rates,” Cortez said. “So, we bring different artists out here, whether they’re magicians [or] musicians, and cultivating a really fun space for our students.”

Besides student use, Mandrell said the outdoor space also will host several community events, such as the college’s Tri-Chamber business gathering in July and the alumni celebration that follows the annual student commencement. Eventually, he would like to hold the school’s police academy graduation there.

Sorenson said the project cost about $1.5 million and was funded using a combination of the college’s local funds and a state grant.

Director of Facilities Rich Groleau said SVCC’s next capital development board project focuses on expanding and improving the outdoor space. Plans include extending the concrete paths, upgrading lighting and roads behind the building, and improving accessibility across the back area.

The project also covers parking lot renovations and resurfacing Alan Pfeifer Drive. If funding allows, additional upgrades could include re-siding the school’s original T1 building and installing a larger overhead door for the agriculture department, as some of its equipment does not fit through the existing 11-foot door.