TORRINGTON – With the Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) school year and graduation in the bag, late Wednesday afternoon was met with a new item on the list of priorities for the local community college. 

This would be the required Master Facility Plan (MFP), in which the college held an industrial, as well as community meeting to discuss potential ideas and goals for the planning process. This process is a requirement, and EWC is in progress of moving forward in the development.

Surveying questions that were on the table regarding the process of the MFP, were what pressing issues should be addressed? How can EWC’s infrastructure be enhanced to promote success in the communities? What should be the top priorities for EWC facility improvement over the course of the next 10 years? What could be built or changed over the next decade to create growth and foster success at EWC?

Along with EWC President Dr. Jeffry Hawes, in attendance at the meetings were Lisa Mueller, Resource Acquisition and Government Affairs of MC2 Engineering and Construction, a Wyoming engineering firm based out of Sheridan.

“This is the first step for us for possibly expanding into something new, and I am very confident as a college,” Dr. Hawes began. “As a community college, our mission is broad, we have to connect with our industry. We want students to invest in that success. These are ideas that everyone has been talking about for a very long time. A daycare center for students and staff, these are ideas we need to explore. This plan will be three to four months in development and these grants are out there to help rural America.”

In reference to a partnership with MC2, Dr. Hawes noted, “When it comes to the big things that we can improve on, these people can help.”

The Sheridan-based company produces construction services, land development, construction management and environment engineering.

“What’s important is that we start that development process,” Mueller said. “What are the needs, leverages and assets? What can be mapped? This is an important part of industry. That connecting and end result means were are capturing our data. Dr. Hawes is on a mission, and we are proud to be a part of that. With the current federal administration, there is a lot of money for infrastructure. This has a lot of relevance to where we are going and that’s why these meetings are so important.”

In attendance was also former Wyoming State Representative Shelly Duncan, who offered input and feedback to both EWC staff and MC2. One idea in particular moving forward, offered teachings of simple things, that according to Duncan may be fading with a younger generation.

“In the eighties, there was a class called single survival,” Duncan said. “It taught us how to cook a meal, change a tire, sew a button and change oil. It taught you all the basics to survive starting college. If we got back to something that simple at the high school level, that sparks something in those kids. Things like that spark something in them and expose them to something they were never exposed to.”

Duncan also persisted that although attending college is a positive venture for graduating high school students, EWC programs that provide education in trades as well should not be neglected.

“Same with trades, if you don’t ever expose students, they don’t know whether they’d like it or wouldn’t like it,” Duncan continued. “The community has to understand how important the college is. We have to make the community understand if the community college goes away, we will create a black hole that will make our communities dry up. What I would like to see is practicality courses. You have some students or faculty that’s doing some higher learning, and maybe they could do some internships and do some more work within the community.”

With that, it was discussed how certain parts of Torrington are in need of repair and possible renovations. It was mentioned with a partnership of both EWC and MC2, possible community outreach programs could be developed in the near future to help with student trade development. This, as well as much needed upgrades and even expansion on student housing.

“There could be painted murals,” Duncan said. “We have art students at EWC and in the high school. Why aren’t we making murals across town and make the community so much more welcoming? Paint is cheap, and we could be working on beatifying the community with students from both EWC and the high school.”

The current CDL program offered at EWC remained a strong topic of continued progress and expansion. CDL instructor Ed Kimes plans on continuing to build and improve the program, with goals of making it perhaps the most productive in the state. Kimes also advocated the approach being used with students will be certain success for their future employment prospects.

“One on one instruction has proven to be way more effective,” Kimes said. “We are a community college; we serve the community. We are unique in this area. We have every endorsement anyone would need here. You train and test them the way the state system is set up. We have to realize the demographic we work in. We don’t want them just to pass a test, I want them to have an understanding of what the trucking industry is supposed to be.”

Kimes continued with the assurance the CDL program will not only produce employable drivers, but they will potentially be the very best. With Kimes experience in both business and CDL instruction, he further advocated that future prospects for the program and students are promising.

“I don’t want to do anything partway. The best of the best work for me. If you were one of the best, you worked for me. If I build a CDL program, I want it to be a top-notch CDL program,” he said.  “I don’t want to run out anyone I can’t refer to businesses. I know how to build a business. We started in February, now we can start catching up and moving forward.”

Dr. Hawes further noted, along with partnership with MC2, the potential and strength the CDL program has to offer for future students and drivers.

“It’s how we package the financial peace so we can turn out drivers and freight runners. So many companies right now are looking for drivers,” Hawes said. “When it comes to MC2, there’s nothing fast about this and it doesn’t happen in one month. When we start knocking on doors, people are going to come. This college has standards that we can’t bypass, and you’re teaching students about professionalism at the highest level.”