• In the state budget that starts July 1, Governor Newsom and legislators approved funding to build a new workforce training hub and performing arts education venue at San Bernardino Valley College and Crafton Hills College, respectively.
• SBCCD and state lawmakers underscore that community college facility improvements will promote job creation, career training opportunities, and regional quality of life.
• Major campus construction starts this fall — the first in a 10-year series of modernization projects approved by local voters in 2018 through Measure CC.

The San Bernardino Community College District secured $37 million in state funding to build a new workforce training center at San Bernardino Valley College and a performing arts education center at Crafton Hills College in Yucaipa. Governor Newsom and the legislature included these campus infrastructure projects in the state budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. SBCCD will match the state dollars from Measure CC money voters approved locally in 2018.

“These two campus projects will directly serve Inland families by expanding career advancement opportunities and a better quality of life,” said Dr. Anne L. Viricel, chair of the SBCCD Board of Trustees. “We are grateful to our state policymakers who made our students and community colleges a state budget priority.”

Chancellor-Designate Diana Z. Rodriguez said the state investments are welcome and an essential boost for the region’s future. “Whether through hands-on career training or inspiring creative thinking, we envision building our community colleges into vibrant places of learning and intellectual stimulation for our local students, families, faculty, and staff,” she said.

The construction projects will strengthen the local economy, said Interim Chancellor Jose F. Torres. “We are laser-focused on hiring local contractors, including minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses,” he said. “From architects, engineers, and electricians to plumbers and landscapers, our goal is to generate economic opportunities for Inland Empire businesses and jobs for our community.”

Information on bid opportunities is available at www.sbccd.edu/MeasureCC.

Workforce Training Hub Coming in 2024

Construction starts in late 2021 on San Bernardino Valley College’s 114,000 square foot building outfitted for modern workforce training. The new building will be accessible, sustainable, and filled with the tools needed for training students in water management, automotive repair, heavy truck technology, machining, electrical heating, and air conditioning, among other fields.

The new two-story complex will provide students with indoor and outdoor lab space for hands-on training, replacing one of the campus’s oldest and most maintenance-intensive facilities.

It will be a sustainable building that provides a place to learn about green technology in a space that looks like a modern working environment. The new building is expected to open in early 2024.

Arts Education & Performance Venue Coming in 2024

State funding will enable Crafton Hills College to replace the outdated Finkelstein Performing Arts Center, which was constructed 43 years ago at the center of the campus.

The new arts education and performance venue, expected to open in 2024, will provide students with up-to-date learning environments to explore their creativity and hone their professional skills.

California’s entertainment, art and design industry generates about $200 billion in labor income.

The new facility will support interdisciplinary learning of the increasingly merging fields of theatre arts and music with a 270-seat main theatre, black box theatre, costume shop, theater scene shop, music recital rooms, recording studio, and classrooms.

Construction will start in 2022 and will meet the district’s goals for zero net energy buildings.

What Are State Leaders Saying?

State Senator Connie M. Leyva
“As the State Senator representing communities in the Inland Empire, I look forward to these campus improvements that will benefit students, staff, faculty, and community members at San Bernardino Valley College and Crafton Hills College. In particular — as the proud representative of San Bernardino Valley College — I believe that the new applied technology building will be a tremendous asset to the campus as students will receive ongoing workforce training in a modern building with up-to-date instructional and training facilities.”

Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gomez Reyes
“The new workforce training center at San Bernardino Valley College is critical in ensuring that the San Bernardino region leads the way in training students for the good-paying jobs of the future. This $37 million in state funding will be transformational in continuing the leadership of the San Bernardino Community College District in workforce development.”

Assemblymember Chad Mayes
“Our dynamic economy requires a commitment to higher education and providing our students with world-class facilities. Fortunately, San Bernardino Community College District has been a leader on both fronts, and I was honored to help ensure their vision becomes a reality with these two projects.”

Assemblymember James Ramos
“I am honored to have joined this effort to build a workforce training center at San Bernardino Valley College and modernize Crafton Hills College. The projects will help ensure a sustainable workforce over the long term and boost the cultural life of our community. The construction projects will create jobs now as they get underway. I’m looking forward to the ribbon-cutting.”