New Butte College facility opens in Orland

Lynzie Lowe, Glenn County Transcript, Calif.
·2 min read

Aug. 17—To broaden the spectrum of opportunities for residents at the local level, Butte College welcomed hundreds of community members, local leaders and state representatives to a grand opening ceremony for the new Glenn County Center in Orland last week.

"Having this new and permanent center in Glenn County allows us to better serve our students in Glenn County as they pursue their educational goals and dreams and fulfill our promise to all students in our Butte-Glenn Community College district," said Cristian Gutierrez, senior public relations and marketing specialist for the Butte-Glenn Community College District.

According to district officials, the $12.4 million, 13,700 square-foot facility rests on six acres of land located at 1366 Cortina Drive in Orland, next to Interstate 5.

Those that attended the grand opening had the opportunity to tour the new facility, which includes state-of-the-art classrooms, computer and science labs, student success and support spaces as well as economic and workforce development training rooms.

Gutierrez said the new Glenn County facility allows the college to expand the courses they can offer students directly within their community as well as the breadth of services.

"This fall we will be offering 31 classes including general education courses in business, English, math, communication, and science as well as ESL courses," said Gutierrez. "Certificate programs offered at the facility include early childhood education, certified nursing assistant (CNA), and business computer information systems."

The facility will also offer economic development programs and services on-site, according to Gutierrez, including Butte College's Small Business Development Center which provides one-on-one business consulting to business owners and entrepreneurs in all areas of business start-up, development, management, growth, and expansion; Butte College Training Place which provides workforce training, performance consulting, and access to training funds for businesses of all sizes and industries; and several employee upskill training classes including supervisor and team leader development, job relations, job instruction, lean principles, continuous improvement process mapping, workplace organization, MS Excel, food safety certifications, OSHA10, first aid and CPR.

"This is a wonderful moment in the college's history as we open the doors to our own, permanent presence in Orland," said Butte College President Virginia Guleff. "This will allow us to better serve Glenn County residents and we look forward to engaging with the community to expand our offerings at this site."

In addition to the grand opening, a memorial to honor long-time trustee Fred Perez was unveiled during the festivities held Aug. 10. Perez served as an elected Butte College trustee for nearly 20 years until his passing in 2018.

The Butte College Glenn County Center hours of operation will be Monday through Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and the fall semester is slated to begin Aug. 22.

For more information, visit www.butte.edu.