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RCC's presence in Medford grows College adds space, classes for 1,500 new students By SUSAN JAY Rogue Community College will look busier and bigger in Medford this fall. College officials expect an estimated 1,500 new students, a majority of them Jackson County residents, up from 4,300 in the last school year. To accommodate them, the college is adding space, courses and programs. The college's board Tuesday approved lease agreements for at least 7,793 square feet of new classroom and office space in downtown Medford. RCC already leases more than 54,000 square feet in five downtown buildings. "They will be full as soon as we get them," said David Jordan, RCC's business director, of the new rooms. Some will be ready by Sept. 20, when the semester begins, while others will be ready in October. "Overall growth just continues to be very rapid," said Jerry Bryan, RCC's director of transfer programs. "Part of the need for these buildings is just to cover standard courses," he said. "There's a lot of interest and a lot of students, and our classes fill up and we can't serve the students the way we need to," Bryan said. The new locations include: 110 10th St. The 4,500-square-foot space across from the Rogue Valley Transit Transfer Center on Front Street formerly was occupied by the Aikido-Kihon Dojo. RCC's board agreed to a 10-year lease with Perk Enterprises at $2,607 a month. Some parking is included. 30 S. Fir St. Southern Oregon Public Television will sublet the 2,293-square-foot space to RCC for three years at a rate of $1,147 a month the first year. The cost will rise to $1,376 by the third year. RCC will move its testing center to this location, creating more spaces for students to relax and study elsewhere. 101 Front St. The space will include as much as 3,500 square feet in the former McKenzie Outfitters store. A lease from Medford Properties Inc. is being negotiated. RCC wants to stay in downtown Medford, Jordan said. The college is working with Southern Oregon University in locating another building that both can occupy downtown, he said. It also is working with Medford's Urban Renewal Agency, which is planning downtown development, to make sure the agency's plans include enough parking for RCC students and staff. The basic plan for RCC, Jordan said, is to stay downtown but also have sites around Jackson County, including at the Veterans Affairs Domiciliary in White City. RCC administrators also plan to add higher level courses, a one-year fast track transfer program to SOU and more public safety courses. "We think the whole public safety -- EMT (emergency medical technician) and fire science -- and criminal justice programs will see growth, based on the demand from prisons and youth correctional facilities," Bryan said. RCC has also hired a new instructor to develop and expand its theater arts program and plans to offer more visual art classes. "There's a lot of stuff going on; it's just keeping it all together and finding space for it all," Bryan said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA