The history of AC: One building at a time – Jones Hall

Jones Hall - Photo Courtesy of www.amarillo.com
Photo Courtesy of www.amarillo.com

The creation of Steven W. Jones Hall on Amarillo College’s West Campus resulted from the need for improved nursing and health care facilities for AC students to serve ever-growing community needs.

Not one of AC’s oldest buildings, Jones Hall was part of a major 2007 bond election costing area taxpayers $68 million.

The bond election funded two new buildings, a parking lot and renovations to some existing buildings.

Dr. Steven W. Jones, AC’s 12th president, proposed the bond election. The board of regents dedicated Jones Hall to him for contributing to AC’s growth.

Jones Hall houses the nursing and dental health centers and has an additional 60,000 gross square feet.

Its interior includes simulation labs, practice labs, the dental hygiene program, a dental assistant teaching lab and sterilization rooms.

Reception areas for patients, student lockers and student gathering areas lay among all the high-tech equipment and laboratories.

The building’s interior and hallways look like an actual hospital room or doctor’s office, replicating a professional and sterile environment.

The linoleum floor holds a simple design, and the walls have a soft tan color. Seats surround the waiting areas that provide open areas to study or socialize.

Besides Jones Hall, the 2007 bond election paid for the science laboratory building adjacent to Warren Hall on AC’s Washington Campus and the parking lot between Harrison and Van Buren Street.

Renovations included the allied health building, Warren Hall and building B on the West Campus. Upgrades improved the Byrd Business Building/Parcells Hall and on the East Campus, an industrial center and an auto body addition.

Before his presidency, Jones actively supported community colleges.

Among his positions, he served as vice chairman on the board of directors of the American Association of Community Colleges. He served on the board of the Ford Foundation Rural Community College Initiative and the President’s Advisory Board of the Association of Community College Trustees.

He also was an adviser for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for Community College programs.

Jones died in February 2009.

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