Officials Dedicate New Wor-Wic Center

BERLIN – Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown and other state and local dignitaries joined Wor-Wic Community College board members, employees, students and friends for ribbon cutting and dedication ceremonies for the new Workforce Development Center at the college campus on the corner of Route 50 and Walston Switch Road in Salisbury.

Brown talked to the crowd of more than 250 about the role of community colleges in meeting the state’s workforce development needs. He said that the community colleges in Maryland "are doing wonderful work," equipping and preparing the work force. He said that the building celebration is about more than just bricks and mortar – it is the start of a long-running success story for the Eastern Shore and the state of Maryland.

“Governor O’Malley and I know that the hub of today’s workforce creation policies exist on the campuses of Maryland’s community colleges,” Brown added. “We are committed to developing a stronger work force and we must come together to realign our education system to meet the new demands placed on this new, global, people-driven economy.”

Dr. Ray Hoy, president of Wor-Wic, expressed his thanks for the state’s support of the new facility. “To entice, grow and retain businesses in our region, there is a need for continual workforce training and development in both the private and public sectors of the economy. We are uniquely suited to meet this demand, especially since we are flexible and responsive to changing business and community needs. This state-of-the-art facility gives us the ability to respond to the local needs for a trained workforce,” said Hoy.

The new building has some unique design elements, such as large windows on the south side of the building that provide beautiful views of the campus and lots of sunlight in the hallways. Other features, such as a glass-front conference room, resource center and student lounge area were included to create a more open feeling inside the building.

The Continuing Education and Workforce Development (CEWD) division is located on the first floor. Computer laboratories on the second floor have been designed for demonstrating and training in the latest software.

The second floor also provides office space for faculty and staff, a resource center, study space and vending machines. The business and hotel-motel-restaurant management department offices will occupy this floor, with the business department moving from the college’s academic and administrative building and the hotel-motel-restaurant management department relocating from the Berlin-Ocean City Instructional Center in Berlin.

 “A culinary laboratory and hotel-motel-restaurant laboratory with a dining room and bar area will provide lots of “hands-on” space for students majoring in hotel-motel-restaurant management or the new culinary arts options that are being offered this fall,” said Hoy.