Jared May looked out at the building he had spent nearly two years in, day after day, dealing with the challenges that come with a more than $23 million project to construct a more than 33,000 square foot building.

“It feels pretty rewarding to come in here,” said May, project engineer for Groathouse Construction, as he looked at the new Northwest College Student Center on Thursday, just ahead of the grand opening celebration.

The building was actually completed late last year and students have been using it for dining, hanging out, studying and more since the start of the spring semester, but the Jan. 30 event was a chance to bring the community in to see what the new building has to offer not just the college’s students and staff, but the community.

“We’re just really thrilled to be able to show off this space,” NWC President Lisa Watson told a crowd of hundreds gathered in the main lower level portion of the building. “It’s a community space.”

She said it “took a village” to finish a project such as this one, and she and the others speakers, including NWC Board Chair Denise Laursen, Wyoming Arts Council Program Specialist Ismael Dominguez (a NWC grad) and NWC Student Senate President Sarah Roberts all thanked the people and organizations who made the building possible, from the foundation staff (led by President Shelby Wetzel) and donors, the contractor and subcontractors, the state — especially the state construction department (with Jake Schrickling leading the project) — college faculty, staff (including Dennis Quillen, facilities director, and former vice president Dee Havig), students, and the broader community which supports the college.

Laursen and Watson noted the importance not just of all the funding sources, from the state to the foundation to reserves and fees, but to the fact that all of it together meant there was no debt.

“So the cool part about this that we're very, very proud of is this is a debt free building,” Laursen said.

Roberts, a student with two associates and nearly a bachelors degree, said having been through the old student center, the transition phase and the new building, it’s great to see people have a place to congregate and form their own communities.

“Just to be able to see the engagement in the last semester I’m here,” she said, adding “to know my student fees contributed to this building is a blessing.”

And, Watson said, it's a building they hope will last even longer than the DeWitt Student Center, which stood at the center of campus for 50 years.

“Today is a celebration. Man, I have never been more excited to stand on a stage and look out at this space,” Watson said, adding “to see the hours and accumulation of time come to fruition in a manner and vision in which we had hoped. And then also see this place be overrun in a wonderful way by our students.”

Fred Bronnenberg, president of Groathouse Construction and like May a NWC alum, had a similar thought.

“We started on this project during the design phase,” he said. “To see the students using it now, it’s cool. Jared and (Groathouse superintendent) Wendel Montgomery did a great job. And it’s a great building.”