Santa Fe Community College - Santa Fe, New Mexico
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History Of Sustainable Technologies Center

Creating an advanced technology center at Santa Fe Community College is a long-time dream of President Sheila Ortego. As the community of Santa Fe and the larger region have embraced renewable energies, water conservation, and sustainable practices, SFCC is uniquely poised to carry this vision into reality.

  • 2000 Santa Fe County created the Community College Planning District to build sustainability into all future development in the area surrounding SFCC, with an emphasis on respect for the environment, community, connectedness, and economic development to provide jobs close to neighborhoods.

  • 2004 SFCC began delivering classes in renewable energy, water conservation, and environmental technologies through the Center for Community Sustainability. City of Santa Fe adopted economic development plan that included the goal of establishing Santa Fe as a leader in renewable energy.

  • 2005 SFCC, City of Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, Local Energy, and the Santa Fe Business Incubator formed a partnership to study the feasibility of creating a venue for the development of community-based water conservation, renewable energy, and other technologies for community sustainability, and to support businesses developing and deploying those technologies with education and workforce training programs.

  • 2006 / 2007 SFCC launched Certificate and AAS in Environmental Technologies. Partners contracted with David Breecker Associates, Inc. to conduct a feasibility study financed by the partners and by a local private foundation. The report recommended the organized delivery of services to support the creation, development, and growth of businesses and non-profit organizations, with the primary goal of engendering a viable small-scale industry cluster, and an emphasis on empowering entrepreneurs, within a framework of regional cooperation. The result will include education and workforce training, job creation, increased wages, and an expanded tax base for the region.

  • 2007 Santa Fe County voters passed bond for initial $7.5 million for Trades and Advanced Technology building at SFCC. Bond for additional $4.2 million on November 4, 2008 ballot to complete building.

  • 2008 Sustainable Technologies Center created. City of Santa Fe and Regional Economic Development Initiative (formed by local governments in northern New Mexico) target renewable energy technologies as bringing greatest opportunity and potential high wage jobs to the region to diversify its economy.

 

For more information, please contact Lou Schreiber, 505.428.1617, lschreiber@sfccnm.edu.