San Jacinto College broke ground on two new facilities at the Central campus on Wednesday, June 16, 2010. Pictured at the groundbreaking for a new allied health facility expansion are (left to right):  Michael Emmons, president, Houston Region, SpawGlass; Dr. James Braswell, San Jacinto College Central campus dean of administration; Edna Robinson, interim dean of health science; Dr. Barbara Hanson, San Jacinto College Central campus vice president of instruction; Randy Sparks, Brooks and Sparks Engineering; Dr. H. Neil Matkin, San Jacinto College Central campus president; Marie Flickinger, San Jacinto College Board of Trustees Chair; Dr. Brenda Hellyer, San Jacinto College Chancellor; Almatha Taylor, San Jacinto College Foundation board member; Calvin Powitzky, senior principal, Bay Architects; Jeffrey Holland, CEO, Bayshore Medical Center; Roy Turner, San Jacinto College emergency medical technician advisory board member. Photo credit: Rob Vanya, San Jacinto College marketing department.

Bond-backed construction at the Central campus continues

PASADENA, Texas – San Jacinto College (SJC) has begun renovations, new construction and infrastructure improvements on the Central campus as part of its voter-backed bond measure. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Wednesday, June 16, 2010, for the new transportation center and allied health facility expansion.

The initiative’s primary objective is to increase the capacity of the campus to meet the growing enrollment demands in academic and technical degrees, as well as transfer areas, that are designed to meet the needs of the SJC service area. This effort is focused on providing educational facilities that will enhance the capacity of the College to train students and retrain workers in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

In May 2008, voters within the College district approved a $295 million bond referendum aimed at providing San Jacinto College with infrastructure improvements, renovations, and new classroom buildings and facilities.

The benefits of the new construction will be shared with the community in the form of new job creation, worker training, and retraining opportunities. “This construction solidifies San Jacinto College as the educational leader in our community today and for decades to come,” said Dr. H. Neil Matkin, Central campus president. “We continue to raise the standard of excellence not only in service to our students, but with our facilities as well, to compete with the best schools and programs from around the country.”

The first phase of the bonded-support effort will include four major construction projects at the Central campus. Several major construction projects at the North and South campuses will kick off in the Fall.

The first project at the Central campus is a new 92,000 square foot transportation center, which will be located on the east side of Luella Boulevard. This state-of-the-art teaching facility is specifically designed to incorporate the latest technology from the automotive industry. The automotive program at San Jacinto College is one of the largest in the country, and the new facility will house credit programs for college students as well as national training centers for General Motors and Chrysler. The new center, designed by Morris architects and constructed by Durotech Inc., will be a showcase for automotive technology training.

A major 35,000 square foot addition to the health science building will begin later this month. This expansion will allow for the addition of new instructional programs, including sonography and dental assisting, and will provide a new space for the eye care technology program, which will feature a public clinic. The new facility will also house a state-of-the-art simulation lab to provide clinical hours for nursing students, vital to increasing the number of nurses and allied health professions available in the region. Construction on the new addition will begin in July. The facility was designed by Bay Architects and is being constructed by SpawGlass.

In late November, construction is expected to begin on a new science building at Central. The 98,000 square foot building will host media-enriched classrooms and laboratories for the College’s science departments. The building will be located at the corner of Schochler Drive and Cunningham, and will serve as a signature building for the campus.

The final project in phase one at the Central campus is the renovation of industrial building #2 to provide a new home for the expanding welding program, and a 10,000 square foot addition to house the non-destructive testing program. This effort will allow these related programs to share outside storage and work areas, and additional laboratory spaces to meet increasing demand for this training.

“This construction is the culmination of many years of dreaming and planning, and took cooperation and teamwork from many people and organizations to make it happen,” said Dr. Brenda Hellyer, San Jacinto College Chancellor. “This is about the future of our college, our students, and our community. It is exciting to see where we’re heading.”

As part of these efforts, San Jacinto College has established new standards for landscaping and is adding a great deal of new ground cover and trees. One of the major features of the new parking areas off of Spencer Highway will be internal, lighted and tree-lined walkways which will improve the appearance and safety for students, staff, and visitors. In addition, the College is investing in wayfinding signage across the three campuses.

San Jacinto College serves a diverse population of more than 27,000 students in over 140 degrees and certificates in university transfer and technical programs. The College also serves the community through workforce training. Students come with various goals and aspirations and we are committed to their success. San Jacinto College. Your Goals. Your College.

For more information about San Jacinto College call 281-998-6150.

San Jacinto College broke ground on a new 92,000 square foot transportation center at the Central campus on Wednesday, June 16, 2010. Pictured, left to right, are:  Dr. James Braswell, dean of administration at the San Jacinto College Central campus; Dr. Barbara Hanson, San Jacinto College Central vice president of instruction; Dr. Steve Horton, San Jacinto College Central dean of technical education; Marie Flickinger, San Jacinto College Board of Trustees chair; Dr. Neil Matkin, San Jacinto College Central campus president; Wayne C. Slovacek, San Jacinto College Board of Trustees member; Dr. Brenda Hellyer, San Jacinto College Chancellor; Ric Menard, Houston Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES) Manager; Wyatt Wainwright, president, Houston Auto Dealers Association (HADA); David Norman, automotive technology department chair, San Jacinto College; David Rowe, CEO, Durotech, Inc.; Dallas Felder, Morris Architects; Randy Sparks, Brooks and Sparks Engineering; Luis Alvarez, Morris Architects. Photo credit: Rob Vanya, San Jacinto College marketing department.