COSTA MESA : OCC Shifts from Egg Farming to E-mail

Constructing a futuristic-looking Technology Center on former pasture land once used for agricultural studies has a symbolic dimension that has not been lost on Orange Coast College President David A. Grant.

Speaking at a recent grand opening ceremony for the $9.6-million center, Grant noted that “the sheep and the goats, the piglets and alfalfa” are all gone now, reduced to memories of a “slower, more innocent era” when the 46-year-old college was in its formative period.

Instead of learning about haying machines and egg farming, students are exploring the fields of robotics, computer-aided drafting, electronics, machine technology, aviation and space. They also query professors by e-mail and log onto the information superhighway via Internet.

Changes in courses have been accompanied by changes in student profiles at the community college. Technology Division Dean Ernest W. Maurer said that night classes “are our bread and butter now” because most students already have degrees and are seeking to enhance their job skills or prepare for new careers.

As for the Technology Center itself, Maurer said the 78,000-square-foot facility was constructed with high-tech materials in order to be as “environmentally friendly” as possible. “It’s really one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the state,” he said.

The facility is the largest technology center on any community college campus west of the Mississippi, Maurer said. Some of the high-tech applications being taught, including surface-mount technology for computer circuit boards, “aren’t being taught anywhere else in the country,” he said.

Maurer added that the center, which features a glass spine that is 3 1/2 stories tall, looks especially dramatic when lit at night.

“It’s just absolutely spectacular,” he said.