Metropolitan Community College (MCC) — Nebraska’s largest community college — has started development on its new 144-acre campus in Sarpy County, located near the interchange of Nebraska Highways 50 and 370. It will be a mixed-use site offering academic and employment opportunities for students as well as housing, retail and dining options for the surrounding community.
This is MCC’s first new permanent campus since 1980 and will be its fourth full-service campus within Sarpy, Dodge, Douglas and Washington counties. Located near seven major high schools, the space will develop in phases contingent on partnerships, funding and community needs.
“The Sarpy County Campus will be completed the ‘MCC Way’ — partnering with local and regional employers, K-12 educators, nonprofits, philanthropic leaders and the broader community to shape a campus that prepares students for the possibilities of tomorrow,” MCC President Randy Schmailzl said.
MCC Vice President for Strategic Operations and Initiatives Nate Barry said conversations about expanding MCC’s presence in Sarpy County began in the 2010s. The community college has had a smaller MCC Sarpy Center location in the area since 1999 and acquired the property for the current project in 2015. Following significant population growth and development in the surrounding area, Barry said MCC’s assessment from its 2023 Facilities Long-Range Plan jump-started construction.
“Between the data centers that are out there and the Amazon industrial sites and the residential communities that are all developed around us … now we’re trying to take (our offerings) to where our customers are,” Barry said.
Currently in the ideation stage, Barry said MCC is envisioning some of the Sarpy County Campus coursework and facilities to be centered on first responder training and the transportation, distribution and logistics industry. Other subjects up for consideration include advanced diesel technology and hospitality and restaurant leadership. He said MCC seeks to partner with established companies in the area, such as Werner Enterprises, as well as the businesses, restaurants and hotels that eventually build on the property.
Barry estimated that it will take 15 to 20 years to complete the project. He said the first step is building the initial infrastructure on the grounds and gathering feedback from surrounding stakeholders on what types of skills and resources would benefit them. He said local participation in calls for input, surveys and community conversations hosted by MCC will inform the process.
“If we do this right, Omaha can be a place that has a regional impact on workforce development that draws in people from Minneapolis and Denver and Kansas City and Chicago and the entire state of Nebraska,” Barry said.
