This article originally appeared on the Memphis Business Journal.
A Memphis college is beginning a multimillion-dollar expansion project.
The Southern College of Optometry (SCO), located in Memphis’ Medical District, formally announced a $35 million campus expansion plan.
“We believe that [SCO] is one of the top programs in the country, and we feel really good about the high-caliber student that we’re able to recruit to come to Memphis into our program each year, but the competition continues to be pretty, pretty strong,” VP for institutional advancement at SCO George Miller told MBJ. “We believe that since we, right here in Memphis, have a first-class program, we want to ensure that we always have first-class facilities to match that and create that environment for our students.”
The project is separated into two phases. Phase 1 expands SCO’s 50,000-square-foot clinic, The Eye Center, to also offer pediatric care in a new building.
Phase 2 updates the 11-story SCO tower’s front façade on Madison Avenue. The tower has been in use since 1971.
SCO president Dr. Lewis Reich said improvements need to be made to further establish SCO in Memphis and gain appeal to prospective students.
He said that, in talking to students, it became apparent that the campus did not represent the quality of the school. This also inspired the need to cater more to students’ needs in the building.
“We even had a student say, ‘I decided to come to SCO because the people were so nice. And I just wish the physical structure was as nice as the people,’” Reich said. “That was one of the things that we were thinking about, and it is part of the project.
SCO is hosting a groundbreaking on April 16 at its campus at 1245 Madison Ave. Work is expected to begin in May, and the whole project would be completed in 18 months, Reich said.
The new building added to the campus will be 28,000 square feet — half of it dedicated to the new pediatric clinic.
As for the the tower, the entrance would be upgraded to a glass façade. The atrium would have stairs and an overall more modern look. Additionally, there would be upgrades to classroom and student spaces.
The general contractor on the project is Hoar Construction.
In November, SCO filed the project with the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development.
SCO has already raised $6.7 million in early commitments for the project.
The college is hoping to raise $12 million through a capital campaign called the Greater Vision Campaign. Of that amount, $10 million will be used for campus infrastructure.
That means over half of that goal has been met before the campaign goes public.
SCO also plans to seek new market tax credits and bonds from the Shelby County Health, Education, and Housing Facility Board.
Miller said their priority in funding the project was not to increase tuition for students.
Miller and Reich emphasized the need to invest in Memphis and bring students here.
“What we want to do is create a structure where you have these first-class facilities in every way that matches the first-class students we’re able to attract in our program,” Reich said. “We’re going to be able to deliver a product that, when students look at [SCO], it’s going to be almost impossible for them to say [they’d] rather go somewhere else.”
