Glendale Community College (GCC) introduced its state-of-the-art, five-story STEM facility, the Buena Vista building, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 13. Community members, GCC staff, administrators, and local leaders gathered to celebrate this milestone. Funded by Measure GC, a $325 million bond measure approved by Glendale voters in 2016, the facility aims to upgrade GCC’s educational infrastructure.
The Buena Vista building will house various departments, including biology, biotechnology, chemistry, geology, oceanography, and physics. Spanning 116,000 square feet, it features a 125-seat lecture hall, 31 specialized laboratories, collaborative study spaces, indoor and outdoor teaching areas, a cadaver lab, and 31 faculty offices. The excitement among local residents and the GCC community was palpable as the space opened to students and faculty after years of planning and construction. Several classes had already been held in the building before the official ceremony.
GCC Superintendent and President Ryan Cornner opened the ceremony, expressing gratitude to the faculty, administrators, construction workers, and board of trustees members. He gave special thanks to his predecessor, David Viar, for his vision and dedication to the project. Cornner emphasized the building’s importance, stating, “This building provides facilities worthy of the excellence of instruction and support that goes on inside these walls, worthy of the brilliance of our students that will be learning between these walls, and worthy of the community that has supported the college for nearly 100 years.”
Sevada Chamras, the physical science division chair, highlighted the long-standing high enrollment demand that GCC’s biology and physical science departments faced due to limited facilities. He mentioned that the college had been out of space for decades, which hindered its ability to meet this demand.
The Buena Vista building is equipped with numerous specimens, including marine life and reptiles, as well as advanced technology such as a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. This technology enables students to study the structure, identity, concentration, and behavior of molecules. Joseph Beeman, chair of the biology division, explained the benefits these tools provide for students and the community, stating, “Not only will we be better able to help our students explore the living world at a macroscopic level, but with our state-of-the-art camera-embedded microscopes, they will be able to explore the life unseen to the naked eye.”
Chamras also noted that the building was designed to foster student collaboration and bonding, with large areas furnished with couches, chairs, tables, workstations, desks, and floor-to-ceiling whiteboards. These spaces encourage students to spend time together, study, and learn from each other.
Representatives from the offices of Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, state Sen. Anthony Portantino, and Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger attended the ceremony and presented GCC with certificates of recognition. Sevan Benlian, the outgoing president of the college’s board of trustees, thanked everyone involved in the project, including the 2016 voters who supported Measure GC. He emphasized the broader impact of the building, saying, “Improving our college is not just about benefiting our students; it’s about enriching our entire community. A stronger, better-equipped college leads to a more educated workforce, driving economic growth and enhancing the quality of life in our city.”
