Community colleges have always provided non-traditional opportunities for students. And now, a non-traditional solution is providing opportunities for California community colleges, helping create innovative space to bring students back to campus after two years of remote learning.

Students zip along tree-lined paths on scooters. There are lines at Starry Sky Coffee. A climate change exhibit opened at the campus art gallery. Cheers ring out from a soccer game.

It feels almost like 2019 at Santa Maria’s Allan Hancock College, which welcomed thousands of students back to campus for the start of fall semester.

But that’s still a thousand less than pre-pandemic.

After a multi-year decline—enrollment fell around 19% in the California Community Colleges System between fall 2019 and fall 2021—districts are mobilizing to entice students back to in-person learning. And they’re doing it in unconventional ways.

Community colleges have always offered an affordable alternative to four-year universities, providing technical education, vocational training and local workforce development in addition to traditional career paths. But now community college districts are rethinking what they can offer and reshaping campuses to provide what today’s students want and anticipate what future students might need.

Some, like Allan Hancock College, are expanding popular programs like MESA/STEM, creating resource centers to promote academic success and adding student services like food pantries, laundromats and campus health centers.

Other community college districts are introducing new career pathways and increasing leadership development programs for older, working adults—even building new tech-driven campuses to provide college-based training for high-demand fields like emergency response and sustainable agriculture.

But it’s not enough to offer the program or add the service; community colleges have to create the space to support additional programs and services. They need new facilities, and they need to get them up and running as quickly as possible.

Historic Funding for California Community Colleges

California community colleges make up the nation’s largest higher education system, enrolling 1.8 million students at 116 campuses. They train the workforce that sustains California’s economy, yet many campus buildings are outdated, unable to provide the technology infrastructure for modern learning. Structures meant to be temporary are still in use decades later. And some newer programs require hands-on training in specialized spaces that colleges don’t have.

The 2022-2023 Five-Year Capital Outlay Plan acknowledges the need, allocating $9.0 billion for new facilities construction for California community colleges between 2022 and 2027.

While this creates unprecedented opportunities to modernize and expand, it falls short of the $9.3 billion required to build the 4.9 million square feet of new space California community college districts estimate they need to accommodate current and future enrollment. With inflation driving up build costs, the projected shortfall—around $300 million in today’s dollars–could be even greater.

Instead of deferring projects or leaving critical needs unmet, community college districts have another option: modular construction—a budget-friendly solution that can reduce build costs 25-35% while delivering the same facility design. 

Four Ways Modular Construction Benefits Community Colleges 

The pandemic has changed education, creating new challenges and expectations. Today’s students want more out of higher education. They’re looking beyond lecture halls, textbooks and computer screens to innovative spaces and amenities that provide a more robust college experience.

They want inspiring, tech-friendly environments that support hybrid learning and comfortable spaces where they can relax, socialize and study. They want on-campus services that help them balance work, life and school and resources that advance their personal and professional growth. They want to feel safe in healthy buildings that make a positive impact on the environment and their local community.

And they’re choosing schools that offer what they want college life to be.

To attract and retain students, colleges must adapt and evolve. Modular buildings help facilities evolve with them, benefiting community colleges in four essential ways.

1. Fastest-to-Market Construction with Minimal Disruption
2. Flexible Space and Amenities at a Lower Cost
3. Specialty Spaces Customized to a Variety of Needs
4. Sustainable Design That Enhances Health and Well-Being

Modular Student Housing: An Affordable Option for Community Colleges 

Most California community colleges were built as commuter schools so it’s no surprise that only 11 of the 116 offer student housing. Recognizing the unmet demand for low-rent housing on or near campus, the 2022 state budget earmarked $1.4 billion to build or expand student dorms, with billions more potentially on tap for housing development grants and interest-free loans over the next few years.

Modular buildings address the student housing problem head-on, giving community colleges fast, affordable housing options responsive to need. Renovating older buildings to provide housing units is more expensive and disruptive to campus life than installing new factory-built housing units ground-up—an option that allows colleges to increase capacity rapidly at a lower cost per bed.

AMS modular housing designs are fully customizable, with student-centered layouts and modern amenities tailored to the personal and educational needs of 21^st century students. Modular concepts can be configured for any site and style—traditional dormitories, shared suites or apartment-style housing—fast-tracked to help districts reduce student housing insecurity in their communities.

AMS modular buildings create a home away from home, with the flexibility to include:

• ADA-compliant shared or en suite baths
• Digital interface with conveniently-placed outlets
• Energy- and water-efficient fixtures
• Indoor/outdoor spaces for socializing and studying
• Kitchens, kitchenettes and snack rooms
• Lobbies, lounges and study areas
• Laundry rooms/mud rooms

Modesto Junior College | West Campus Housing | Modesto, CA | LPAS Architecture + Design
Seven ranch-style residential buildings create a campus neighborhood, each with
four bedroom suites, two bathrooms, kitchen, living/dining area and laundry.

Modular Solutions Help Community Colleges Create Positive Change

In times of uncertainty, community colleges are becoming more important than ever. So is modular construction—a cost-effective way to help community colleges support new kinds of learning in innovative new spaces that offer educational opportunities, economic advancement and essential real-world skills for students.

Students and community colleges don’t just want options—they want better ones. AMS provides them with four branded building solutions that meet a full spectrum of needs, from turnkey to design-build.

Flexible space, sustainably built, customized to need, delivered 60% faster for 30% less—that’s positive change we can build on.

Ready to build? We make it fast and easy with a library of DSA-approved designs and streamlined procurement options, including piggybacks, for every AMS and GEN7 building.

Learn more about our AMS and GEN7 Brands.

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