The property is located at 5 East Galena Blvd. and 2-20 South Stolp Ave.
The sale of the former campus marks another milestone in Waubonsee’s commitment to the Aurora community and its growth and development. Since establishing a permanent presence in Aurora in 1985, the college has invested more than $54,000,000 in its campuses, which is among the largest investment in Aurora by a single entity. That figure includes ongoing renovations to our Aurora Fox Valley Campus, which will re-open as home to our healthcare programs this fall.
During the redevelopment of the current downtown campus, which opened in 2011, Waubonsee acquired a series of vacant and dilapidated buildings for which numerous redevelopment proposals had failed. Waubonsee’s Aurora Downtown Campus attracts a significant number of students and staff to the area daily, with a beautiful facility that enhances the physical environment and serves to boost private investor confidence in the future of downtown Aurora. Through a partnership with the City of Aurora, the project also made possible a new riverfront public space and a critical river walk connection with both the upper and lower river walk. Beyond its physical influence, the campus serves an academic mission that provides more than 3,600 students annually from the city of Aurora and its adjacent communities with critical education and training.
The 132,000 square foot campus is home to signature degree and certificate programs such as Computer Information Systems, Health Information Technology, Early Childhood Education, Healthcare Interpreting, Interpreter Training and Sign Language. Also, the campus offers a wide variety of transfer classes such as First Year Composition, Introduction to Psychology and Fundamentals of Speech. Popular non-credit offerings at the campus include Adult Basic Education, English as a Second Language, and General Education Degree programs. The Aurora Downtown Campus is also the primary home to our Workforce Development department which offers professional development and career training courses in addition to customized training to local businesses. Additionally, the campus provides community space for meetings and cultural events and has a bookstore, café and library.
Since establishing a permanent presence in downtown Aurora in 1985 – including a second location at our Aurora Fox Valley Campus, next to Rush Copley Hospital - Waubonsee has served 126,482 students from Aurora and its adjacent communities, and currently employs nearly 400 people in Aurora.
