Los Angeles Valley College’s new academic building, which will house six departments and be the site for an upcoming cybersecurity center, was officially opened Friday, Feb. 6, just before the start of the spring semester.
The Valley Academic Hall, which cost approximately $90 million, is an 80,000-square-foot, three-story classroom building near the corner of Burbank Boulevard and Ethel Avenue. This new structure will be the home for the business administration, computer science, information systems, emergency services, mathematics, psychology/statistics and sociology/ethnic studies departments.
Additionally, Valley College received $1 million in federal funding through Congresswoman Luz Rivas for the creation of a cybersecurity center to support California’s initiative to train 50,000 entry-level cybersecurity professionals by 2030.
Those funds will be used to purchase new computers, equipment, updated software, hardware, contracts for internships and other supplies. It will also expand the college’s existing cybersecurity program into a training and innovation hub.
Rivas was present for the opening of the Valley Academic Hall, joining Valley College President Barry Gribbons and Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) Chancellor Albert Roman.
“As an engineer and a former STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] educator, I know firsthand the value of providing resources, like the ones available at Valley College, for students from communities like mine,” Rivas said. “With new computer labs, smart classrooms and other cutting-edge technology, students will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in their education alongside their peers to collaborate and find new solutions to challenges.
“By investing and drawing from the talent pool right here in the San Fernando Valley, we are closing the equity gap that has traditionally existed in STEM education.”