New Science and Math buildings open at East Los Angeles College

$58.4 Million Science Career & Mathematics Complex Ribbon-Cutting

LOS ANGELES – Today, East Los Angeles College (ELAC) held a ribbon cutting ceremony for two new buildings in its three-building $58.4 million Science Career & Math Complex. The two new buildings will house the Life Sciences, Chemistry and Math departments as well as lecture and classroom facilities. ELAC was recently awarded a $6 Million five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education to increase opportunities for Latino and low income students to succeed in careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).

“These new math and science buildings are positive proof of our commitment to our students,” said Scott J. Svonkin, President of the LACCD Board of Trustees. “Here at ELAC, we have world-class facilities because we know our students deserve nothing less than the best. Our board has been entrusted with a $6 billion investment by the people of Los Angeles county and we will ensure that those funds go directly towards serving the academic needs of our students.”

President Svonkin was joined by several members of the LACCD Board of Trustees including First Vice President Sydney Kamlager, Second Vice President Mike Fong, Trustee Mike Eng, and Trustee Nancy Pearlman. Congresswoman Judy Chu, Garvey School Board Member Henry Lo, LACCD Chancellor Francisco C. Rodriguez, and ELAC President Marvin Martinez were also in attendance.

“This building opening today is very personal to me because I struggled with both math and science when I was growing up. To see these new buildings and the faculty and staff come together so that students can succeed is very important to me,” said LACCD Trustee Mike Eng. “This was also the first building that was laid out in the last construction bond program and yet it’s now one of the last buildings to be built. It’s a real victory to overcome all of the hurdles and get to where we are today. It’s similar to the stories of many of our own students who overcame personal hurdles to get to where they are now.”

The new facilities are LEED-certified and were built with Measure J Bond Funds to support student success. ELAC is one of the nine colleges in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD).

About the Los Angeles Community College District

The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) is the largest community college district in the country, spanning 36 cities in Los Angeles County and serving nearly 250,000 students per year at its nine colleges. Drawing 80 percent of its enrollment from historically underserved populations, LACCD offers affordable and accredited higher education that empowers students to transfer to four-year institutions, earn associate’s degrees, and obtain training and job skills that open doors to lifelong opportunities.

Members of the Board

Scott J. Svonkin, President | Sydney Kamlager, Vice President | Mike Fong, Second Vice President | Mike Eng | Andra Hoffman | Ernest H. Moreno | Nancy Pearlman | Alexa Victoriano, Student Member