Groundbreaking Ceremony and Block Party Marked the College’s 50th Anniversary
BERKELEY, Calif., April 24, 2024 – Celebration hit Center Street in Berkeley the afternoon of Tuesday, April 23, as the community and Berkeley City College (BCC), the Peralta Community College District, and Peralta’s Bond Program, “Build Peralta” celebrated 50 years of BCC history and the groundbreaking of a new building at 2118 Milvia Street that symbolized the future of the campus.
Founded as the Peralta College for Non-Traditional Study with 906 students in 1974, BCC has since seen an incredible increase in enrollment, admitting 6,688 in 2023. This increased demand has driven the need for facilities to accommodate both the growing student population and the evolving academic needs of the community. A new LEED-certified six-story 60,000 square-foot academic and administration building will go up in the now vacant lot at the northwest corner of Milvia St. and Center St. This facility, being built by local general contractor XL Construction, is the culmination of 10 years of planning and will provide 15 much-needed classrooms to the campus.
More than 200 students, employees, and community members were in attendance for the groundbreaking that kicked off with a land acknowledgment by Student Trustee Natasha Masand. The day’s uplifting speeches often referred to the College’s mission, “to provide our diverse community with educational opportunities, promote student success, and transform lives.”
President of Berkeley City College Dr. Denise Richardson encouraged the audience to, “Please join us in the tradition of Berkeley City College as we continue the good fight for the soul of our society: accessible education, academic freedom, the perseverance of a functional democracy, equity and social justice.”
Looking to the future, City of Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín remarked, “The new classrooms, the art studios, and the learning resource facilities will help support the next generation of students to have an ample opportunity to thrive.”
To round out the program, Associated Students of Berkeley City College President Kristiyan Klichev talked about his personal experience at the college, saying, “[BCC] was my sort of safe haven to explore my interests… I've really seen how much Berkeley City College and community college in general supports any person from any walk of life.”
Both student speakers plan to transfer to UC Berkeley in the fall.
The 2118 Milvia Street Expansion Project is made possible through the Peralta Community College District’s Bond Program, funded by Measure G bond dollars overwhelmingly approved in 2018 by the voters of Northern Alameda County including residents in Berkeley, Albany, Alameda, Emeryville, Oakland, and Piedmont. For more information, visit www.build.peralta.edu.
An archive of photos taken during the Groundbreaking Ceremony can be found here: https://peraltacolleges.smugmug.com/BERKELEY-CITY-COLLEGE/BCC-Events/BCCs-50th-Milvia-Groundbreaking