ENID — Classes start today for Enid’s Northern Oklahoma College students, and those who are returning will notice some big changes in one of the buildings.

The Zollars Memorial Library building on the NOC campus has undergone extensive renovation during a yearlong $1.4 million project.

The project was funded through a state higher education bond passed several years ago. NOC Enid has used about $5.4 million of the funds since they became available, said Edwin Vineyard, vice president of the Enid campus.

The renovation of the Zollars building includes all three floors and the building’s basement, making use of all available space.

The basement of the building has been transformed into the nursing floor, where all nursing classes take place.

Vineyard said there now are six Interactive Television classrooms instead of four. Faculty offices also have been expanded and the nursing students now have a completely renovated “skills lab.”

“We have about 85 to 90 nursing students on the Enid campus,” Vineyard said.

The basement also has a computer lab for the nursing students, a student lounge and a faculty lounge.

The ground floor of the Zollars building now has a handicapped-accessible restroom, two additional offices, an expanded entry-area and classrooms with added technology.

The classrooms are equipped with Sympodiums, which are similar to interactive white boards but are controlled only by the instructor’s computer.

“We’ve also added technology in the science building as well as one room in Marshall (building),” Vineyard said.

Also added in the stairway of the ground-floor is a campus-wide digital message board that scrolls information such as news, calendar events and announcements.

The second floor of the building containins the library. The library section of the floor has been condensed to make room for other areas.

Other additions include a 38-computer classroom for the college’s computer classes and a writing lab for classes’ writing projects. There also are 14 student computers in the library for student research.

Also new is a reading classroom for students who need to improve their reading skills.

“Studies have shown that reading is a need of students, so we added a reading classroom,” Vineyard said.

The floor also contains a tutoring area.

The third floor of the Zollars Memorial Library building previously was unused. It now contains four ITV classrooms, a student lounge area, a student study area and eight computers for students’ use.

The third floor now is home to a child development lab for students in that field.

“They can set (the classroom) up just like a daycare center,” Vineyard said.

The third floor also houses the classroom for Project Achieve, a program through the Department of Human Services that helps students with computer skills, résumés, interview skills and more.

“They have a very high placement rate,” Vineyard said. “We’ve had it for about three years.”

More office space also has been added on the third floor, including an ITV classroom facilitator organizational office.

The renovations of the building allow the campus to make more economical scheduling decisions, Vineyard said. Specialty classes with few students now can be more easily scheduled as ITV classes and combined with other campuses.

Vineyard said because of the current funding crisis in education, the building is not yet being used to its full potential.

“Because of budget issues, we really haven’t done as much as we could have with it,” he said.

However, the building will get plenty of use starting fall semester.

“Our enrollment is up this year,” Vineyard said. “Not only do we have more students, but they are taking more hours. We are maxed-out.”

An open house to showcase the building’s renovations is being planned for later this fall.

Other remodeling projects also have been under way at NOC this summer. The dormitory bathrooms, showers and sinks have been remodeled and the windows in the Marshall building have been replaced to make the building more energy efficient.

Through a partenership with the city of Enid, Enid Public Schools and NOC, the NOC baseball field has undergone several improvements. There is a new net backstop, a new retaining wall, a new wood fence, and ADA-accessible parking and seating. The field also has been laser-leveled.

“It’s a very good example of how we can work together,” Vineyard said.