Nearly two years after putting shovel to dirt, Santa Fe College’s Ralph W. Cellon Jr. Institute for Skilled Trades and Advanced Manufacturing is ready to serve students.
SF and state officials gathered underneath the outdoor covered lab at the back of the institute on Tuesday morning in Gainesville for a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating its completion.
The facility – located in the same parking lot as the Charles R. Perry Construction Institute on the college’s Northwest Campus – will allow SF to meet current and future workforce needs through the expansion of key trades programs in welding and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning), along with the addition of an Engineering Technology Advanced Manufacturing degree program, which has a specialization in semiconductors.
“Today’s building represents that hard work, our mission and our commitment to workforce development,” SF President Paul Broadie II said.
The Cellon Institute is named in honor of the late Ralph W. Cellon, who died earlier this year.
Cellon, affectionately known as “Uncle Ralph,” was a longtime supporter of the college. He helped lead the effort to buy the land where the Northwest Campus is located, served as an inaugural member on the college’s District Board of Trustees and served 54 years on the Santa Fe College Foundation Board.
“Sometimes you have champions that hold your feet to the fire. Sometimes you have champions that say, ‘this is what we need to do, and let’s get it done.’ Sometimes you have champions that are pillars of the community, that are so deeply passionate about the mission, but more importantly, passionate about changing someone’s life. One such man was Uncle Ralph,” Broadie said.
Many of Cellon’s family members were present at Tuesday’s ceremony, including his wife, Jerry.
While offering remarks, Jerry said she was “so thankful” that Ralph was able to be present for the Cellon Institute’s groundbreaking and topping-off ceremonies.
“And I believe he is here today [in spirit],” she added.
Broadie said projects such as the Cellon Institute don’t happen by accident, adding it costs money. He touted former Sen. Keith Perry and former Rep. Chuck Clemons for their help in securing $1.8 million in state appropriations for the project.
During the ceremony, Broadie also asked many other supporters not named in the remarks who had a “fingerprint” on making the Cellon Institute a reality to stand up and be recognized.
Following the ribbon cutting, attendees were invited to tour the facility, meet with students and faculty, and learn more about the programs to be held there.
Classes are slated to begin in the Cellon Institute on Monday, Aug. 25.
Nick Anschultz is a Report for America corps member and writes about education for Mainstreet Daily News. This position is supported by local donations through the Community Catalyst for Local Journalism Fund at the Community Foundation of North Central Florida.
