May 29, 2018, Santa Rosa, CA—The Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC) Petaluma campus will celebrate the groundbreaking of a new science classroom and renovation of its student center, as well as other projects funded by the Measure H bond, on Thursday, June 6 from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. The event will follow the SRJC Petaluma Building Community Breakfast and Fundraiser, is open to the public and parking will be free.
The new science classroom will allow students to complete their first full year of studies in biology and chemistry at the Petaluma campus without having to commute to the Santa Rosa campus. The student center renovation will expand the available student resources.
“Thanks to Sonoma County voters, the Measure H bond is supporting the long-awaited expansion of science labs at SRJC Petaluma,” said Dr. Catherine Williams, dean of instruction and enrollment management. “Our new anthropology classroom and outdoor dig sites will amaze students as they conduct crime scene investigations and archeological excavations.”
Dean of Student Services in Petaluma Matthew Long said that SRJC Petaluma is known for being a welcoming and inviting community. “With our Measure H funded student center project, our students will know that they belong here because they will see that we built this facility with their lives in mind,” he said. “A modern co-working space with a media wall, gaming center, and laundry equipment, the new student center will help students stay on campus and stay engaged in their studies.”
This project is expected to be completed in Spring 2020 and includes:
- A 2,200 square foot state-of-the-art chemistry lab classroom, complete with full preparation lab, four fume hoods, and instrumentation room. This chemistry lab space will support students preparing for transfer degrees in biology and chemistry.
- A 1,600 square foot anthropology lab classroom, with visual displays and storage for museum-quality cultural artifacts and bone specimens as well as outdoor archeological and forensic anthropology dig sites.
- A new science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) quad, with an outdoor classroom that contains writable glass walls, capacity for media projection and a pollinator garden to support biology and botany labs.
- A new front door to campus to welcome students, with clear signage to guide entry.
- Remodeling of the existing Mike Smith Hall into a new student center that will support a welcome center and other student engagement and support services. It will allow students access to a kitchen, flexible workspaces, a gaming center, and laundry facilities.
- A refresh of the courtyard café, atrium, and connecting outdoor quad in order to create space for large events on campus.
