Valley College Opens State-of-the-Art Building

August 16 marked the Grand Reopening of San Bernardino Valley College’s (SBVC) Business Building just in time for the fall semester. Students attending Valley College will be able to take courses in the new state-of-the-art building equipped with technology and electronics, all geared toward a higher standard of education. The building, after its $16 million 18-month complete refurbishment, will host classes in business administration, computer information technology, accounting, real estate and more, starting in the fall semester. The building has a total of 19 classrooms and 250 new computers, as well as six brand-new computer labs for students to use. A new technology is being implemented that will allow students who live a long distance away from their campus to watch a live stream of their professors lecturing from the convenience of their own home. The old business building was built in 1960 and had long been out of date, and was remodeled throughout last school year and summer breaks. Dr. Gloria Fisher, SBVC Interim President, opened the ceremony by welcoming students, staff, and community members to the pristine meeting rooms. Bruce Baron, Chancellor, and John Longville, Vice President and SBVC Board Member, thanked everyone involved from Board members to construction workers for helping make the new business building a reality. Baron noted the lack of impact that this building would have on the environment and the “commitment to sustainability” that San Bernardino Valley College has made with the addition of this building and the strategies they are implementing in order to leave as little of a footprint as possible. San Bernardino Valley College was awarded a Silver Certification for the care that was taken when planning the building to ensure that it was as self-sustainable as possible, and the measures that were taken during the construction of the building itself. The materials that were purchased for the building were all sourced within 500 miles to reduce environmental strain that transportation requires. All carpets, paint and indoor materials were carefully bought to ensure there were no unnecessary negative impacts on the environment as well. The sinks, toilets, and faucets in the building all work to conserve water 20 percent better than before. Appropriately decided for the construction of a business building, project overseers found it important to keep those working on the project local. Longville stated, “80 percent of the contractors and workers that were hired to work on this project came from the Inland Empire.” Longville went on to say that he was looking for positive outcomes, both in the short and long terms, by contributing to the community the school is a part of, and by taking steps to take better care of the area we live in.