LAKEPORT, Calif. – Community leaders and residents, college faculty and staff, and Mendocino College students gathered on Wednesday afternoon to celebrate the official opening of the college’s new Lake Center campus.
Located on Parallel Drive, with a clear view of Mt. Konocti, the $15 million campus features new and spacious amenities – about 15,000 square feet in classrooms, offices, labs and other facilities – for the nearly 700 students who began classes there in January.
Arturo Reyes, Mendocino College’s superintendent/president and the event’s master of ceremonies, said the new campus was a “vivid” step in the college’s effort to provide high quality education to students.
The college’s grand opening comes at a time when new educational doors are opening around the county.
Yuba College’s Clear Lake Campus has completed major new building projects, and both it and Mendocino College are working with Marymount California University, which is opening its third campus at the Lucerne Hotel.
Marymount will be the county’s first four-year university, and is aiming to partner in the endeavor of creating a seamless route from elementary to four-year and graduate degrees for the county’s students.
Dr. Kevin Grant from Marymount was on hand for the Lake Center dedication, as was Lake County Superintendent of Schools Wally Holbrook, another partner in the effort to expand local offerings for students.
Initiatives like creating a new campus don’t happen in a vacuum, said Reyes, who thanked students, staff and faculty for their support.
He also gave special acknowledgement – including calling for a standing ovation – to Kelseyville resident Mike Adams, the college’s facilities planning director, whose vision and leadership were instrumental in making the new campus a reality.
Board of Trustees President Joel Clark recalled the 2006 campaign for Measure W, the bond that voters in Lake and Mendocino counties approved to fund a list of college projects, the Lake Center among them.
Despite some concern that there might be opposition to the bond, Clark said the communities joined together and passed it, and he thanked voters for taking that action.
Some of those original college project plans had relied heavily on state grant funding, but in 2008 the state grants dried up, Clark said.
That didn’t stop the college from moving forward. He said college officials like Adams and Vice President for Administrative Services Larry Perryman came up with creative solutions to save money but still complete all of the projects on the list.
When the new campus opened in January, there immediately were hundreds of students attending, and Clark said during the first week they had to increase the size of the parking lot.
Congressman Mike Thompson said the new college campus was a huge milestone for the community, and explained the importance of community colleges, and how they benefit a wide spectrum of students and community members.
He said in California 70 percent of nurses and 80 percent of police officers and firefighters receive their education at community colleges.
In addition, a “huge number” of students who receive degrees from California State Universities and the University of California start out at community colleges, he said.
Many veterans also rely on community colleges for their education, with more than 50 percent of those who go back to school after returning from service attending community colleges, he said.
Thompson, a Vietnam veteran, said he enrolled in a community college after returning from the war, eventually moving on to a California State University.
He also thanked Adams, who is his neighbor in Kelseyville. “It never would have happened without him.”
He presented a flag that had flown over the US Capital to the college to fly over the campus.
Mark Rawitsch, dean of instruction at Lake and Mendocino county’s campuses, said the Lake Center was designed for its beautiful setting.
Thanks to voters approving the 2006 bond measure, the local project received local funding, he said.
Aaron Bielenberg, the student member of the board of trustees, grew up in Lake County, and said the college was offering vital opportunities for students, including allowing them to take lab classes without having to drive hours to do so.
“I see great things in my future,” he said, noting he owes a lot to the campus. He will transfer to the University of California, Davis, to study mathematics next semester.
The event wrapped up with city, county and college officials joining with members of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce to cut the opening ribbon in front of the main building.
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