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Welcome
to the new column bringing news about the Garfield Campus, by
Garfield folk, but for all those at GCC who read the Chaparral.
At this time we have lots of news. First of all, the Garfield
Expansion project has begun construction, enlarging and updating the
campus.
Second, Garfield faculty and staff received many honors last June.
Jane DiLucchio, at that time Division Chair of Life Skills and
Noncredit Business, and staff member for over 25 years, received
the William L. Parker Award for Exceptional Service to the college.
In addition, Cindy Pollack, from Noncredit Business, received the
Exceptional Adjunct Award.
Congratulations to both and recognition of the honor they bring to
the Garfield Campus. More details on this will come in the
subsequent issues, but we are all proud of them and their
accomplishments through years of hard work.
The Garfield
Expansion project
If you find news about the budget for community colleges too
depressing, you can turn to the videos at:
http://www.glendale.edu/continuinged/construction/ and see temporary
classrooms being hoisted in the air, and giant
bulldozers digging a huge hole where once the previous child care
center stood. Yes, the Garfield
Expansion project is moving along, scheduled to be completed by
September 2011. New temporary classrooms and a day care center
should be ready by this September for the fall semester.
If you are one of those who infrequently pass Garfield Campus, you
may wonder why a building built in 1994 (completed just at the time
of the Northridge earthquake) would need an expansion project. But
for those of us who have used or taught in the facilities over the
years, a larger, permanent structure, with more amenities for
students and staff, will be a welcome and necessary addition.
Contrary to what one sees from afar, the job placement office and
many of the ESL classes, community services classes, and some others
have been taught or placed in bungalows dating from the 30s. Many
were housed in classrooms rented from the nearby church, known as
CCBC. The “classroom” where I taught for years, for example, was
actually the cavernous old social hall of the church. Here
“classroom technology” consisted of a CD player and a roll-away
white board. The
room had a noisy heating system, no air conditioning, and
“multi-media” consisted of a beat-up but functioning piano.
These rooms will all be replaced by a new three-story building where
the bungalows now stand. The building will have the highest level of
classroom technology that exists on campus. The building will be
both wired and wireless for computers.
“The new facility will provide a 21st century learning facility for
the community and the students we serve. It will be a LEED certified
'green' building. This is the beginning of a first class campus in
South Glendale,” said Dr. Karen Holden-Ferkich, Associate Vice-
President of Continuing and Community Education.
In addition to the 14 new classrooms built to replace the old ones,
several much needed public areas are being included. On the first
floor a community center meeting room will double as a student
lounge and testing center. It will have snack machines and
provide a place for students to relax or study, away from the summer
heat and winter rains. Presently there is no space at all indoors
for students to congregate, simply the covered tables in the
corridor area of the bungalows.
The first floor will house the bookstore, a workroom, division chair
offices and a classroom. The second floor will have more classrooms,
the Developmental Skills Lab, and a Career Center. The third floor
will have three more regular classrooms, three computer classrooms,
a computer lab,
server room and workroom. Footbridges will join the new building to
the old building on the second and third floors and provide more
sitting area for relaxation.
An imposing arch will not only mark the campus’s entrance, but will
also serve as a drop-off area, moving that traffic away from
the dangerous mess on Garfield Avenue that exists now. A safe
drop-off area is vital to the
convenience of the students and faculty, many of whom are not young.
Between the entrance and the new building, there will be an outdoor
plaza for socializing and relaxation. An additional 98 parking
spaces will be made available, as well as parking space for bikes
and motorbikes. There is a plan for a shuttle between Garfield and
the main campus to have scheduled
runs.
Will the new campus change the role of the school in the
community?
It will, according to Dr. Holden-Ferkich. “My vision for the
future includes credit and noncredit classes with all the necessary
student support services, hopefully sooner than later.” Even if
it’s messy right now, it’s heartwarming to see this big project
march along, thanks to Measure G funds. The future of Garfield
Campus, and of South Glendale, is bound in the right direction with
this great expansion project.
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