The UA Cossatot Educational Resource Center (ERC) will hold a grand opening ceremony to mark the completion of its construction project on Wednesday, August 4, at 10 am at the ERC Nashville Campus to celebrate the renovation of the college’s primary resource center.  

The ceremony will include opening remarks by college and community leaders, followed by a reception with refreshments. In addition, the Nashville Chamber of Commerce will host a chamber coffee in conjunction with the ceremony from 9:30 am until 11:00 am. Everyone is invited to attend.

As the intellectual heart of the campus, the ERC encourages and celebrates learning, benefiting all who visit by improving access for students and community users.

“The ERC has always been an engine of intellectual activity, but we turbocharged it for new generations of students,” said UA Cossatot Chancellor Steve Cole. “Our goal is to make students feel comfortable and supported while they reach higher, go farther, and achieve the success they’re capable of.”

Funded by a Title III grant, the ERC renovation includes a much larger space, new carpeting, and new furniture that creates a modern, clean and open space to accommodate the ERC, which is a merger of four college departments: Kimball Library; the tutoring program; the textbook rental and open educational resource (OER) program; and the latest addition-the UAC Gift Shop. The space also functions as an open computer lab for students and community users.

“As students moved away from the charm of dust and gloom traditional libraries represented, Kimball Library transitioned to an ERC in 2013 with a focus of embracing technology in the 21^st century,” said UA Cossatot Director of Educational Resources and OER Specialist Relinda Ruth. “Thanks to a Title III grant, we pursued the ERC renovation with an eye toward accessibility, engagement, and support for UA Cossatot’s growing student population.”

For more information on UA Cossatot’s ERC, contact Relinda Ruth at 870-584-1181 or rruth@cccua.edu.