Campus Spotlight: Mesquite, Texas

We’d like to introduce you to the newest campus in the Carrington College family! Tip your hat and say ‘howdy’ to Carrington College in Mesquite, Texas! Our brand new 43,000 sq ft property will open its doors to students for the first time when classes start in February, 2012. The Mesquite campus will offer Medical Assisting and Dental Assisting certificate programs in world class, industry current facilities, adding new students every 6 weeks, and new programs in the years to come. Mesquite is a small town just a few minutes east of Dallas, and in 2012 the community comes together to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Mesquite’s 1887 incorporation. With the campus located in the heart of the town in Emporium Circle, across from the mall, our students will have their pick of places to grab a coffee or lunch between classes. Access from the Dallas metro area is good as the campus is near 3 major highways. Our new Mesquite campus is notable for many things; it is our first in the great state of Texas, it surpasses Albuquerque as the most easterly Carrington campus, and last but not least, it is the very first campus applying for LEED Certification in the entire DeVry Inc. family! We’re very excited about that fact! Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) redefines how we think about the buildings in which we live, work and learn. Recognized globally as a standard of excellence, LEED has enabled us to implement practical green building solutions in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of our new building. Melody Rider, the Executive Director of Carrington College in Mesquite, was kind enough to take some time out of a very hectic schedule to talk with us and share her thoughts on LEED, the campus, and what the Carrington approach can mean to students in Mesquite. “LEED certification is huge for us, and we’re still working to gain the next level of certification, but we are shooting for 100% sustainability. We try for no disposables, and anything we purchase must have a % of recyclable material in it, including all our office supplies. We have showers on campus for faculty & students who want to cycle to campus, as well as numerous bike racks, and reserved hybrid vehicle parking. Too much goes into LEED to detail it all here, but ‘Go Green or Go Home’ is our mantra!” As you would expect with a new building, the Mesquite campus has world class facilities that include 2 medical assisting labs, a dental lab with 8 fully equipped operatories, a nursing lab, and a simulation lab where instructors can simulate what goes on in clinics, doctors’ offices, and emergency rooms. “Our goal is to create a challenging, relevant college environment that will enable our students to learn in industry current facilities, using up to date, world class equipment that will allow them to enter the workforce and hit the ground running.” Time in the simulation lab is an important part of the Carrington learning experience, as Melody explains; “The Mesquite SimLink lab enables students to reinforce the skills they’ve been taught, and to work on their soft skills which are very important in healthcare. Sessions are videotaped for review, and other students can observe and provide constructive feedback on their peers.” Melody is very clear about the goal of the new campus and faculty; “The staff at Mesquite will work to have one voice for our students; we have high expectations for them to be successful out in the community. We’re very community driven; we want to give back, to help improve our community through the quality of our graduates, and through programs such as our work with the Food Bank, local high schools, social services, and the Greenhouse school project. We want our graduates and our college to be a valuable part of Mesquite’s future growth and success.” If you or your friends would like to find out more about Carrington College Mesquite campus, please visit https://carrington.edu/schools/mesquite-texas/. Classes are enrolling now! ©2012 Carrington Colleges Group. All Rights Reserved. Program availability varies by location.