Flushing View

MCC receives federal funding to use for upgrading the Prahl College Center

Building will be transformed into hub for information technology courses



Sen. Gary Peters (center) takes a tour of the Prahl College Center with Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea (left) and Jason Wilson (right). Photo by Ben Gagnon

Sen. Gary Peters (center) takes a tour of the Prahl College Center with Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea (left) and Jason Wilson (right). Photo by Ben Gagnon

FLINT — Mott Community College is getting a boost of federal funds to help transform the Prahl College Center into a major hub for cutting-edge technology courses.

As part of the most recent federal government funding bill, MCC received a $650,000 federal earmark to purchase new equipment for the Prahl building, which will undergo a $25 million reconstruction project over the next several years. The federal dollars will help MCC enhance its workforce training programs; specifically, classes geared toward information technology and cybersecurity.

Funding for the project is also being provided by a $12.5 million grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who assisted in securing the federal allocation for MCC, toured the Prahl College Center on Jan. 17 alongside Mott President Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea to get an up-close look at the building’s current services and learn details about the upcoming reconstruction.

Sen. Peters and Dr. Walker-Griffea with Robert Benard (far right) and MCC IT student Aidan Fisackerly (far left). Photo by Ben Gagnon

Sen. Peters and Dr. Walker-Griffea with Robert Benard (far right) and MCC IT student Aidan Fisackerly (far left). Photo by Ben Gagnon

Peters, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said the expansion of MCC’s information technology offerings will help to fill an increasing demand for experts in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI).

“Perhaps one of the largest threats that we face on a daily basis is persistent cyberattacks from all sorts of bad actors, whether they’re criminal elements or state sponsored actors who try to undermine our systems,” he said. “What we need desperately are highly trained professionals that understand cybersecurity and protect all of those systems in government and industry.”

Robert Bernard, coordinator of MCC’s information technology program, said many courses currently taught at the Regional Technology Center on campus will transition to the Prahl College Center once renovations are complete.

“There is an ever-increasing need for a skilled workforce in these well-paid careers, including computer information analyst, information security analyst and software developer,” he said. “The Prahl Center renovation will help Mott prepare graduates for these exciting and essential roles, by including cutting-edge technologies and enhancing instructional design in our degree programs.”

The Prahl College Center has served as a main student hub at the Flint campus since it was built in 1971, providing enrollment, registration and advising resources and offering spaces for students to study and relax between classes.

With the reconstruction, the Prahl building will give students more convenient and innovative access to services.

“We will have a one stop shop for our traditional student service operations in what is now our old Applewood (Cafe) area,” said Jason Wilson, Vice President of Student Academic Success. “Students will be able to go there to apply, enroll, check out financial aid and get brief advising, without having to go to multiple levels of this building to get enrolled.”

Wilson said Prahl’s new admissions and registration center will be accompanied by a virtual navigation hub, where students can engage with holograms and artificial intelligence to get directions to buildings and classrooms on campus and receive information about basic services.

On the building’s lower level, students will be able to visit a future career hub to practice interview skills and get connected with employers based in the Flint area and from around the globe.

In addition to housing programming labs and new classrooms, the Prahl College Center will offer a computer repair service for students and community members, which in turn will give MCC information technology students an opportunity to practice their computer repair and software skills.

Reconstruction on the building is expected to start this fall, with a target completion date set for 2025. Student services typically offered at Prahl will be moved to different parts of the campus when the project begins.