Supporters and employees of Southeast Community and Technical College celebrated a milestone event Friday — the ribbon cutting for the new Educational Alliance Center on the Middlesboro campus.

The 34,000-square-foot structure is the first new building to be built on the campus since the original three were erected in 1995.

The environmentally friendly and technologically smart facility houses the nursing program, workforce training, and additional programs in partnership with four-year institutions, including Eastern Kentucky University.

The center also has a 2,000-square-foot community room with the potential for hosting community events as well as new programming.

“For some time, hospitals throughout our region have had great need for more nurses,” Southeast President Vic Adams said. “This new building will allow us to expand our capacity.

Adams says that the center will help the college to build the community’s workforce and the advanced nature of the simulation lab and classrooms will provide students with an educational experience that is “second to none.”

The building was funded by BuildSmart, an effort led by community members and college supporters.

The classrooms, office suites and conference rooms inside the center are named for the largest donors to the project.

Adams said the college has been blessed with very generous donors, but he added that he appreciates everyone who has contributed.

Of the employees on the Middlesboro and Pineville campuses, 100 percent contributed to the BuildSmart Campaign, and high percentages of employees contributed from other campuses in the Southeast system.