An iconic educational center in the heart of Barrio Logan will soon start construction of new facilities that will provide greater opportunities for people in the community.

The new César E. Chávez Campus will be a 67,924 square foot facility with 22 classrooms for vocational training, English as a Second Language, adult education, among other programs.

Currently, the center is located across from Chicano Park, but the new facility will be located a few blocks away, at the site of the former –and traditional — Chuey’s Restaurant. Construction is expected to start in September.

The campus will provide opportunities to a community that otherwise could end up in dead-end, low-wage jobs. The center will have a major focus in health care training.

“It will serve as a critical, local educational resource for the area’s significant immigrant community,” said Robin Carvajal, dean of Allied Health and Community Education for San Diego Continuing Education, which is part of the San Diego Community College District. “I am very excited and pleased about the construction of the future campus.”

Currently the most popular classes are within several programs including: English as a Second Language (ESL), Adult Basic Education and High School Completion, GED Preparation, short-term job training and classes where instruction focuses on adults age 55+. When the new campus is built, an array of Health Career Training classes will be offered, which are expected to be extremely popular, Carvajal said.

She added that currently the Cesar E. Chavez Center serves about 500 students per day. That number is expected to more than double once the new campus is built.

“We are so very excited about the Cesar E. Chavez Campus,” said Dr. Anthony E. Beebe, president of San Diego Continuing Education of the San Diego Community College District. “It will provide tremendous learning opportunities for people in the Barrio Logan community, with a focus on Allied Health Career Training. The Allied Health programs will set students up to get into good paying jobs in area.”

In addition to 22 classrooms and labs, the new building will include a multi-purpose room and administrative offices and provide space for a Small Business Incubator. Underground parking will provide 149 parking spaces, including preferred parking for carpools and high efficiency vehicles. The design is on track to obtain a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification from the United States Green Building Council.

“The building, itself, will be an educational destination, as it will house historical information, pictures, and artifacts about Cesar E. Chavez, and the struggle he led in the labor movement,” Beebe said.

The new campus is a result of San Diego voters approving Propositions S and N, which resulted in nearly $1.6 billion for new construction and renovation to facilities throughout the San Diego Community College District, according to Carvajal.

As part of the San Diego Community College District’s mission of encouraging more historically disadvantaged and minority-own firms, the school district is promoting bid opportunities in the community. In fact, the architect behind this beautiful project, Joseph Martinez, is Latino and a San Diego native who attended local schools.

Martinez received his Bachelor of Arts from UCSD, Master of Architecture from Harvard University, and has been president of Martinez+Cutri since 1980.

He designed the new Lincoln High School, the Logan Heights Library, Cesar Chavez Elementary, and has a deep appreciation for his childhood neighborhoods.

“It’s important to have more diversity because whenever possible, we’d like for our project to have participation which draws from the community makeup,” said Project Manager Scott Ellis.

San Diego Continuing Education serves one of the most diverse student populations in the state and possibly the nation.

Carvajal said that as many as 140 countries are represented in the student body throughout the year.

She said that students attend classes for various reasons—some are looking to sharpen basic skills to be more successful in college, others are completing short-term job training so they can be part of the local workforce, and others are continuing education as part of a personal goal to participate in lifelong learning.

The age range of our students is significant—adults from age 18 to 80, with the largest percentage of students over age 50.

“We expect to serve similar students at the new Cesar E. Chavez Campus—diverse in culture and ethnicity, but also in educational goals,” Carvajal said.

To learn more about the Cesar E. Chavez Campus, please visit www.sdce.edu.