May 10, 2023, Santa Rosa, CA — At its May 9 meeting, the Sonoma County Junior College Board of Trustees unanimously voted to rename the SRJC Southwest Center to SRJC Roseland. The community is invited to a ceremonial groundbreaking and celebration of the naming on Saturday, May 13 from 12-1:30 pm at SRJC Roseland at 950 Wright Road, Santa Rosa. The community is also invited to attend the Empowering Through Education event prior to the groundbreaking beginning at 10 am to meet former students, current faculty and staff, attend free workshops, and learn about student support services.
For nearly forty years, Santa Rosa Junior College has served the Roseland community by offering higher education classes and wrap-around student services at a variety of locations. In 2022, SRJC affirmed its long-term commitment to the community with the purchase of the Wright Elementary School site, formerly known as the Southwest Center. SRJC had leased and operated the facility for over thirteen years.
“The Board of Trustees is pleased to officially rename the Southwest Center to SRJC Roseland to honor and celebrate the community it serves. This investment in Roseland demonstrates our long-term commitment to providing higher education to a historically underserved community,” said Dorothy Battenfeld, Board President.
With the purchase of the site, SRJC created a Work Group to develop a vision for a vibrant campus similar to the Santa Rosa campus. The vision includes a welcoming and embracing design, spaces for community connection, sustainable in its modernization and building design, and delivered on budget and schedule.
The project includes the creation of a new welcome center that will provide administrative, student services and classroom facilities, the modernization of existing classrooms, expanded parking, and two new quads to host activities. It also features a renovation of Heritage Hall, which will provide students and faculty with two flexible computer labs. Sustainable building design is a key component to the project, and the new campus will be zero net energy ready. Lathrop Construction and HKIT Architects have been awarded the contract for design-build.
Classes at SRJC Roseland include Non-Credit English as Second Language (ESL), College Skills, Older Adults, Community Education, Electronic Technology and Computer Literacy classes. Student support services such as food distribution, student health services and remote assistance with online admissions, class registration and academic counseling are also offered.
“This is a matter of equity. We know higher education is a pathway to break the cycle of poverty and improve the lives of residents in our community. SRJC Roseland prepares students for better job opportunities with GED programs, English language classes, educational certificates, and degrees. This name change honors the heritage and history of the community we serve,” said Dr. Frank Chong, Superintendent/President.
