SRJC’s Petaluma campus rises to new level

New and renovated facilities improve junior college’s ambiance, attract more students

Terry Hankins The new Mahoney Library on the Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma Campus is five times the size of the old library. Zoom Photo

When the Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma Center opened in 1995, local residents celebrated the basic convenience of having a new campus nearby.

Thirteen years later, the campus has soared to an entirely new level.

This year, the vibe at the school, now known as the Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma Campus, has intensified by several notches, as construction of new facilities has been completed and all renovations of existing facilities are tentatively scheduled to be finished by the end of December.

“Change is challenging for people, but employees have been very tolerant and students have adapted without any fuss whatsoever,” said Jane Saldana-Talley, the vice president and executive dean of the campus. “Every day has brought important changes in the campus environment. Everyone who believes they know what the campus is all about should stop by and take another look: They’ll be surprised and very impressed by the new facilities.

“We have some of the best instructional facilities, some of the most technologically advanced facilities, in the North Bay. And it’s amazing how the changes in this space can change people’s outlook.”

A new and expanded Herold Mahoney Library, the Mike Smith Hall-SRJC Bookstore and the Physical Fitness Center all opened this semester.

“The library is a stunner,” Saldana-Talley said. “It’s an exceptionally beautiful space, and as soon as its doors opened, students started utilizing it. The bookstore provides a lot more room, and the Physical Education Center has a state-of-the-art weight room and gymnasium.

“Classes in the Physical Education Center immediately filled up. Students here have never had such a facility.”

The completion of the new facilities will be celebrated at the campus on Sept. 26 at an event that is open to the public. A gathering and reception will take place at 1:30 p.m., followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2 p.m.

Mayor Pam Torliatt, who will be present, has proposed that the day be proclaimed Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma Campus Day, Saldana-Talley said.

Meanwhile, renovations continue on several facilities, including John M. Jacobs Hall, Kathleen Doyle Hall and Carole E. Ellis Hall — the former Herold Mahoney Library, which will include a 250-seat auditorium.

“The auditorium will be used for large community events, lecture classes and film and media programs. It will provide another opportunity for the public to come to our campus,” Saldana-Talley said, adding that it might not actually be completed by December because of the complexity of the renovation project.

A re-dedication ceremony to mark the end of the renovation and reconstruction projects will be held in April 2009, she said, noting that all the temporary buildings are scheduled to be removed by the following summer.

The new facilities will enable the campus to offer many progressive new classes.

“We now have facilities that allow for expanded offerings in chemistry and physics, and have digital-arts programs and a lab that will expand our film and media program,” Saldana-Talley said. “We’re stretching the notion of what technology is. We’re expanded into water technologies and ‘green’ technologies. We’re looking very closely at establishing occupational programs that are consistent with workforce needs, and will have an expansion of transfer-class offerings.”

Student enrollment has risen from just over 6,000 students last spring to 6,300 this semester, and is slated to reach 12,000 within about 10 years.

“Classes are filling up to the maximum size very quickly. It’s a pretty dramatic change for us,” Saldana-Talley said. “The informational screenings that we have done show that a considerable number of our students now are coming from north Marin County.

“Our Marin students are choosing Petaluma as an alternative because of the quality of our programs and because we can meet their transfer requirements.”

The expansion also has required the hiring of 10 additional full-time management staff members and six full-team teachers — in English, film and media, English as a Second Language, public services, bilingual counseling and anthropology. A seventh position, in life sciences, has not yet been filled.

“We’ve had some pretty dramatic changes,” Saldana-Talley said. “We’re trying to create an engaging environment for students, because student engagement leads to student success.”

(Contact Dan Johnson at dan.johnson@arguscourier.com)