Ribbon cutting of the new (TETER-designed) Educational Support Services Building at C.O.S.
Article originally published by the Sun-Gazette on September 2, 2023 by reporter Brock Linebaugh
COS unveils new student support building. After 14 years in the making, College of the Sequoias presents their new Educational Support Services Building, which will aid students in a multitude of ways.
VISALIA, CA – As of this semester, College of the Sequoias students have a new place to hangout and seek help on the school’s Visalia campus. Whether they’re looking for a place to meet up with friends, or get a helping hand with homework, the new building will provide students with various services.
On Friday, Sept. 1, College of the Sequoias (COS) held their ribbon cutting ceremony for their new Educational Support Services Building, which took the place of an older structure that was due for earthquake reproofing. The new facility officially opened to students at the start of the fall 2023 semester.
“We had it open for the first week of school, which was fantastic,” said Lauren Fishback, the school’s director of marketing and public relations. “Our facilities team, along with the project’s subcontractors, worked really hard to make sure it was open for students to utilize at the very beginning this semester. So, it was very exciting that they were able to make that deadline.”
The building houses programs that were previously spread across the campus, such as various tutorial services like the writing center and mathematics lab. The new building also houses several access and ability programs as well as testing sites and study halls.
“What’s really lovely about the new building is that it provides students an extra space where they can kind of hunker down, and get some work done,” Fishback said. “Although it’s more of a space to get things done, akin to a library, it also acts as a social environment.”
While students are finally able to enjoy the amenities and services of the new Educational Support Services Building, it has been a longtime in the works.
“In 2009, the district proposed a project for state funding to build a ‘Basic Skills Center’ on the COS Visalia campus, which would centralize student support services,” Fishback said. “Funding depended on a
statewide higher-education bond (Proposition 51), passed by California voters in 2016.”
The building began construction during December of 2021 after Forcum/Mackey Construction won the bid for the project at $12,084,000. Ninety percent of the funds came courtesy of the state’s Chancellor’s office, with the other 10% being paid by the district.
While COS doesn’t have any other large-scale builds on the horizon, they did renovate a building located across the street from the Educational Support Services Building with the intention of making it into a marketplace for students to use.
“We renovated the entire space, which used to be a dance studio I believe,” Fishback said. “Now (it’s) our Giant Marketplace, which students can use to shop for groceries as well as attend workshops about financial planning, or how to secure housing.”
To learn more about the College of the Sequoias and their many programs and facilities, readers can visit their official site or head to one of the three campuses located through Tulare County to experience it in person.
