Community College Of Philadelphia Welcomes New and Returning Students With Bigger, Greener and Smarter Facilities

PHILADELPHIA, August 30, 2011—New and returning students reporting to Community College of Philadelphia for the fall term starting Tuesday, Sept. 6, will find new, greener, bigger and smarter facilities at the Main Campus and Northeast Regional Center in Northeast Philadelphia.

“The College is incredibly proud of what it has accomplished by melding the old with the new at both locations,” President Stephen M. Curtis said. “These buildings serve as living laboratories where students can learn from their surroundings. We have created state-of-the-art learning spaces that will help students become global citizens who really understand what sustainability means.”

On the Main Campus, students will be greeted by the new Pavilion Building, located on the west side of 17th Street, between Spring Garden and Callowhill streets. The Pavilion houses a new Admissions Office Welcome Center to support and inform prospective students. The sleekly curved, two-story 47,600 square-foot Pavilion also includes a new bookstore, a large student café dining area and new kitchens and classrooms for the College’s expanding Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management (CAHM) programs.

“The new Pavilion will offer our students the best in state-of-the-art educational facilities for the growing industries of culinary arts and hospitality management,” President Curtis said.

Part of an ongoing $56 million capital expansion and renovation project at the College’s Main Campus, the Pavilion connects to the College’s West Building, which received a mini-facelift to accommodate programs in Applied Science and Engineering Technology, Process Technology, and Biotechnology. New courses offered at the College include degree programs in Psychology, Building Science, Mass Media and Digital Video Production, and a Community Leadership degree and certificate program. The College also offers a new certificate in Energy Conservation.

The Pavilion was built to comply with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold standard set by the U.S. Green Building Council for new construction. One of its more eco-friendly features is a green roof on which CAHM students may one day grow fresh herbs and salad greens.

Across the street, on the east side of 17th Street, work continues on the Bonnell Building, which is receiving a 7,840-square-foot addition and a new elevator lobby. Much of the first and second levels of the Bonnell and adjacent Mint building are being renovated. The renovated space will house an integrated, one-stop Enrollment Services Center; an integrated Business Services Center; and improved and expanded instructional facilities to support the College’s Theater, and Sound Recording and Music Technology programs. Like the Pavilion, the Bonnell addition will be topped by a green roof to facilitate storm water management and conserve energy.

At the Northeast Regional Center (NERC), the College has completed a $31 million project adding a 60,000-square-foot wing that has doubled the total facility’s square footage and boosted enrollment capacity from 1,500 to 2,850 full-time students. The NERC’s expansive acreage made it possible to dig a field of 220 geothermal wells – each 400 feet deep – to provide heating and cooling for the entire facility, thus reducing the carbon footprint of the buildings. Classrooms and laboratories are equipped with the latest technology, and ergonomically designed furnishings, mostly made from recycled materials.

NERC course and program offerings have been expanded to allow Northeast Philadelphia students to earn associate degrees in Business Administration, Computer Forensics, Science and Women’s Studies/Gender Studies, and Liberal Arts (Honors and Religious Studies) without having to take classes at the Main Campus. Microbiology and Biotechnology courses also will be offered for the first time at the NERC. These classes were previously offered only at the Main Campus. These new courses are in addition to degrees that students could already complete entirely at the NERC in Culture, Science and Technology; Liberal Arts—General, Religious Studies, and Social/Behavioral Science options. In addition, students who take online courses and traditional courses can earn degrees in Accounting, Applied Studies, Business and Justice.

The College also has made changes at the administrative level:

  • Gregory Murphy was appointed Associate Vice President of Institutional Advancement, where he will work to enhance the College’s fundraising efforts. Before coming to the College, Murphy was interim vice president for Development and Alumni Affairs at the University of the Arts.
  • Leonardo T. Freyre was appointed Bursar. Freyre formerly was the Manager of Human Capital for the Baltimore City School District. Previously, he served as Bursar at Ross University and Sullivan County Community College.
  • Rogers Glispy was promoted to Director of the Athletics Department. Glispy served as assistant director for eight years under former NBA player Ollie Johnson, who retired in June. Glispy is familiar with the College’s student population, athletics and intramural and extramural activities.
  • Carl Moore was appointed as director of Student Success Initiatives and will lead the development of programs and services to engage students and lead to their improved academic success and persistence. Prior to joining the College, Moore served as Associate Director at Temple University’s Fox School of Business Center for Undergraduate Advising.