Bill Greehey, the former chief executive officer of Texas based Valero Energy Corp., hasn’t lived in his native Fort Dodge in a long time, but he still cares about the community.

A new building at Iowa Central Community College stands as a tribute to his interest in his old hometown. It’s called the Greehey Family Student Success Center. Centrally located on the Fort Dodge campus, it is home to the variety of offices students rely on for extra help or just to manage the basics of their college experience. In this new building, they can find the offices of veterans services, enrollment services, student advising, financial aid, registrar, counseling, housing, career services, distance learning, early intervention support and the mail room.

For years, those offices and facilities were scattered across the campus. Now, they’re all in one place, offering students a one-stop-shop for the services they need.

Obviously, building such a center wasn’t cheap. The total cost was about $8.5 million.

Greehey’s generosity covered some of that cost. He donated $3 million to help pay for the center.

His gift will benefit all Iowa Central students for decades to come. Scholars from Fort Dodge, Webster City, the rest of Iowa, the nation and even the world will be in and out of that building.

Greehey’s gift also eased the burden on local property tax payers.

The fact that he saw fit to invest in Iowa Central and its students says much about his character. We’re grateful that Bill Greehey still takes an interest in Fort Dodge, Iowa Central and the surrounding area.