Come Monday, the halls of Fresno City College's new West Fresno Center will be filled with students.
[Ads /]
The 39-acre property aims to meet a growing need in the community.
"For many years, the community has been asking for us to come out and have educational opportunities for the residents of this area of Fresno, so finally we are able to provide that to them," President of Fresno City College, Robert Pimentel, said.
West Fresno Center is surrounded by elementary, middle and high schools-- giving those students a visual gateway to college.
"We have great courses for you, and we want you to dream big because you belong here," Dean of West Fresno Center Gurminder Sangha said.
Pimentel stated that around 80% of the West Fresno Center students come from the surrounding area schools.
"Over the last couple months, we've seen a huge spike in enrollment here from this community here," Pimentel said. "They're coming from the 93706, 93722 zip codes, so we know that we are serving this community."
[Ads /]
West Fresno Center is offering 48 courses this semester, including social justice studies, early education, a medical assistant program, and pre-allied health.
"We're really excited because it really opens up a lot more opportunities for them to do the real hands-on skills that they need," Dean of Allied Health at West Fresno Center, Lorraine Smith, said.
The number of courses and subjects can change over time as the center grows.
"Our goal is to add more courses based on the students' interests and community needs, so deans are already working on planning the Spring of 2024," Sangha said.
While there is still some construction around the center, Sangha expects all work to be done by the fall of 2024.
The $86.5 million project is funded primarily by facilities bonds, plus nearly $17 million allocated by the City of Fresno from the Transformative Climate Community program.
For news and weather updates, follow Tiffany Olin on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.