Genesee Community College has moved its Dansville Campus Center to the former Dansville Middle School, 31 Clara Barton St., one block off Main St. in downtown Dansville.
More than 60 courses will be offered this fall at the new location which offers more classrooms, modern science labs, an art and ceramic studio, gymnasium, 550-seat auditorium and a cafeteria.
Clara’s Commons – a new student lounge located in the middle school’s former library – is named after American Red Cross founder Clara Barton who lived in the village and established the first Red Cross chapter there.
GCC has signed a 10-year lease with the Dansville Central School District which will permit the college to expand into more space as needed.
Dansville Campus Center Associate Dean Peter Soscia says the school district has gone out of its way to ease the transition.
“Although this move meant a lot of extra work for them, they never made it an issue and they act like we are all on the same team. It’s about the community, which is why this arrangement works so well,” he said.
The new facility is also providing new capacities and potential new functions for students.
“Whenever possible, we believe in hiring our students to give them real world experiences and opportunities,” Soscia says. “We’d like to see students in the office technology program running our office, and marketing students advertising our community events.”
A grand opening celebration of the new Dansville Campus Center is set for August 20 from 4-6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public and features a Works Project Administration (WPA) Art Exhibit, live music and refreshments.
