On February 16, 1987, an arson fire broke out at the college's library that destroyed the main student services building and killed firefighter Gary Parks. The arson destroyed 48,000 books and remains unsolved. A new library and service building was opened in October 1988 at the same site and dedicated to Parks, who was honored with a statue in the courtyard. The building cost $8 million to construct and stock with new books, using funds from the state legislature and private donations.