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Students and Professors Get Early Holiday Gift as LA City College Celebrates the Groundbreaking of its new $38 million Science and Technology Center

The new multi-million dollar, three-story building will help train a new generation of

Nursing, Chemistry, Geology, Life Science, and Biology students

Dec. 14, 2007 (LOS ANGELES) The science and technology industry got a major boost today as Los Angeles City College (LACC) and Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) officials joined dozens of honored guests to celebrate the groundbreaking for the college’s $38 million Science and Technology Building. The new facility will provide state of the art facilities for several of the college’s science departments under one roof.

“City College has been here for nearly 80 years and served as a training ground for GIs after World War II. Our campus was an educational innovator for the last half of the 20th century,” said Dr. Jamillah Moore, LACC Interim President. “With this new Science and Tech building we can firmly advance into the 21st century and train students for the jobs of today and tomorrow.”

“This is a great day for City College,” said Kelly G. Candaele, Vice President, LACCD Board of Trustees. “This new building will affect most of us sitting here – one of your family members may need a skilled, trained nurse, future chemists may develop a new gasoline substitute we’ve all been waiting for. This wonderful new facility will become the cornerstone for these skilled workers’ education.”

"Momentum is building here and throughout the other eight colleges in the District,” said Dr. Marshall Drummond, LACCD Chancellor. “The new Science and Technology building will further advance City College and its place in California’s system of higher education.”

The new three-story 85,000 sq. ft. Science and Technology Building will include: 25 new classrooms and four lecture halls; 36 private offices with 30 open area workstations and two new computer labs. The building will also include equipment such as computerized human patient simulators for nursing, a CAD/CAM milling machine for dental technology, a Gas Chromatograph and a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance machine for chemistry.

The building is designed to qualify for the US Green Building Council's LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver rating. LEED™ design features include roof-mounted solar panels, which will supply 10 percent of the building's energy needs. Other features include an advanced Heating, Ventilation, Air Condition system, which will increase efficiency, reduce energy use, improve air quality, and reduce maintenance costs of the building.

The Los Angeles Community College District is the largest community college system in the country, educating more than 188,000 students each year.  The LACCD has embarked on a $2.2 billion construction and modernization program at its nine college campuses.  As funded by the Proposition A/AA Bond construction program, the LACCD is also currently undertaking the largest public sector sustainable building effort in the United States.  For more information, visit www.LACCDBuildsGreen.org.

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CAPTION:

An early holiday present: L.A. City College Science and Technology Department Chairs join Los Angeles Community College District Chancellor Marshall Drummond during groundbreaking ceremonies for the college’s new $38 million Science and Technology Building on December 12. From left are Drummond; Dental Technology Chair Arax Cohen; Chemistry and Geophysical Sciences Chair John Freitas; and Nursing Chair Betsy Manchester.

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