In 2023, a multi-building upgrade that includes the new Sequoia Nursing and General Education buildings, as well as a 74,000-square-foot Student Services and Administration Building, allowed the school expand access and better support students from all backgrounds. It also created a flexible, welcoming, future-forward campus experience.

“A lot of research was done about how to actually attract, retain, and support students through matriculation,” says Dr. Andrea Alexander, EVC’s Vice President of Business and Administrative Services. “And to feel they belong—not just culturally and ethnically, but also for our ADA students, students with alternate ways of learning, and students of various body sizes.”

Additional project goals included:

• Ensure the new buildings aligned with the campus’s sustainability goals (it achieved LEED silver).

• Support veterans, transfer students, and a diverse student body while engaging the San Jose community through a voter-approved bond.

An enhanced student experience

Classrooms were upgraded with furniture from across the MillerKnoll collective, including Everywhere Tables from Herman Miller and MultiGeneration Stacking Chairs from Knoll. Womb Chairs from Knoll and Chadwick Modular Seating from Herman Miller also give students a place to socialize and relax right outside their classrooms.

“If a student has a class from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and then a gap between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., that’s where we lose them and they don’t come back,” Dr. Alexander says. “You need spaces for them to be comfortable.”

A curved glass oculus by design firm DLR Group serves as a visual anchor connecting the Student Services and Administration wings, and it’s also become a favorite hangout spot. “People are always sunbathing there or stargazing in the evening,” Dr. Alexander says. The oculus second-floor terrace features Sommer Lounge Chairs from Design Within Reach and Knoll Petal Tables, bringing the highly considered design from the indoors to out.

The Student Services Complex provides easy access to any information students might need (financial aid, admissions, counseling services), fosters connection among students and faculty, and enhances the wellbeing of all.

A partnership-powered project

Beyond the collaboration with DLR Group on the Student Services Complex, EVC also worked with architecture firm Perkins Eastman on the nursing and general education buildings and with MillerKnoll dealer KBM Hogue across all three projects.

Alexander emphasized the importance of working with a local team that was accessible, experienced, and able to manage a large-scale installation with flexibility and precision. By partnering with KBM Hogue, EVC used the OMNIA Partners cooperative contract to simplify procurement. This eliminated the need for a lengthy RFP process while securing competitive pricing and meeting public-sector requirements in a single step. The approach also eased administrative demands, accelerated timelines, and reduced risk.

Bundled service delivery further streamlined the process by bringing product sourcing, installation, and project management together under one contract to give the college a smoother overall experience and access to the full MillerKnoll ecosystem.

Collaboration extended to the surrounding community as well. Voters passed a recent bond initiative, meaning property taxes funded the redesign. “Because it’s community money, the college—including the furniture—needed to meet a high standard,” Alexander says of their MillerKnoll choice. The OMNIA contract helped the team go from their bond bid to ensuring community voting to making sure the project got the best value for goods and services.

The school hosts community events and forums, congressional members hold meetings, and office suites are often available for use. “We also become a local playground after 5 p.m. every night,” Alexander says. “It’s an amazing thing.”

Looking ahead

As students, faculty, and staff continue to activate the new spaces, Alexander sees the project as an example of what’s possible when mission and design align. The campus is not only designed to serve students during their time at EVC, but also to prepare them for what’s next.

“These students deserve just as much as Ivy League students,” says Taylor Daley, the  MillerKnoll Ancillary Specialist that led the project. “EVC created a state-of-the-art campus that makes them feel valuable and comfortable when they’re interviewing somewhere like Google.”

Alexander says the student response has been “nothing short of amazing,” both in terms of feedback and academic success.

“If you give people a gray box, they’ll perform like they’re in a box,” she says. “If you give them something that’s beautiful with shades and shapes and quality, they’ll perform that way. I’m seeing it every day. It changes their performance.”

3-point recap

1. A multi-building upgrade let Evergreen Community College expand access and support students from all backgrounds in a flexible, welcoming, future-forward campus experience.

2. Leveraging an OMNIA Partners cooperative contract simplified procurement, eliminated the need for a lengthy RFP process, secured competitive pricing, and more—all in a single step.

3. The space is not only designed to serve students during their time at EVC, but to prepare them for what’s next.