Armstrong State University and the city of Hinesville will host a groundbreaking for the new Liberty Center in Hinesville on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.

The event, at Memorial Drive and Welborn Street, will include remarks by Gov. Nathan Deal and University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank M. Huckaby.

The 21,000-square-foot building will replace a smaller facility currently located in leased commercial space in a local strip shopping center. The new facility, which is expected to open in the summer of 2015, will include classrooms, science laboratories, faculty/staff offices, common areas, student services and support areas. The building’s design will be sensitive to the aesthetic fabric of the existing community and will complement the existing downtown streetscape.

The Liberty Center currently offers associate degree tracks in liberal studies, criminal justice, business and a variety of health profession areas, as well as bachelor’s degrees in liberal studies and criminal justice.