Santa Fe College will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday for the new Ralph W. Cellon Jr. Institute for Skilled Trades and Advanced Manufacturing.
The event will take place at 2 p.m.at the SF Northwest Campus (3000 NW 83rd St.) across from the SF gymnasium building.
According to the press release, “the facility is being named in honor of Ralph W. Cellon, a longtime supporter of the college.”
Cellon helped lead the effort to acquire the land where SF’s Northwest Campus is located, he served as an inaugural trustee on the SF District Board of Trustees, and he continuously served for 54 years on the Board of the SF College Foundation.
“Ralph Cellon has been integral to the growth of Santa Fe College since its inception and it is fitting that this new facility be named in his honor,” SF President Paul Broadie II said in a press release. “He knows the power of a college education, and the need for highly skilled workers in the trades. As demand continues to grow in these industries, students graduating from our programs will be able to enter their career field knowing that they have been trained utilizing the latest technology and are poised for success.”
The new facility will enable SF to see a 275% increase in the number of students that can be trained in welding and HVAC. SF also plans to add a new degree program in Advanced Manufacturing that will help address the needs of industry and business within the community.
Construction on the facility is expected to begin in 2024 with a projected opening of fall 2025.
That is fantastic! What an honor!Don Waterhouse
That sounds curious. Trade schools have long been looked down on by colleges and universities. But now, they’re actually opening their own? Trade schools must be taking a chunk out of the tuition and fees. This appears on the outside to be a bit of a conflict of interest.
Santa Fe has offered vocational programs for 35+ yrs.