MSJC purchased new facility in Temecula
March 20, 2018
The Mt. San Jacinto Community College District is pleased to announce it will soon expand access to higher education for residents of Southwest Riverside County and surrounding communities. The college district purchased two five-story office buildings located at 41888 Motorcar Parkway in Temecula on March 16, 2018.
The City of Temecula, which helped facilitate the purchase, joined the college district at a press conference to celebrate the purchase. The press conference was held on Tuesday, March 20 at the new location.
“I am thrilled that Mt. San Jacinto College will be able to prepare more students for the education they need to reach their goals at one convenient location,” said Dr. Roger Schultz, college district superintendent/president. “It is a beautiful facility, it aligns with our mission and this is a real milestone in the history of the college district.”
The college’s mission calls for it to provide quality, accessible, equitable and innovative educational programs so students can achieve their academic, career and personal development goals. The 350,000-square-foot facility is the size of all of the buildings on MSJC’s Menifee Valley Campus, which currently serves more than 15,000 students. The purchase price was $56.5 million.
Bill Zimmerman, chair of the MSJC Board of Trustees, said he was proud of the district’s conservative stewardship of Measure AA facilities bond funds.
“This was a wise purchase that will benefit students and taxpayers for generations,” Zimmerman said. “It also finally allows us to transition out of leases and settle into a permanent home in Temecula, just as we did in the other regions of the district where we previously leased facilities.”
One of the City of Temecula’s priorities has been to attract higher education for its residents. It leased the top floor of its former City Hall on Business Park Drive to Mt. San Jacinto College, the home of the current Temecula Higher Education Center.
“Providing diverse higher education opportunities is a top priority for the City of Temecula,” Mayor Matt Rahn said. “Today marks the day of great achievement and the celebration of another milestone that has been reached in furthering this mission. Thank you to the forward thinking and innovative MSJC Board of Trustees, President Dr. Roger Schultz, and his staff. The Temecula Valley is eternally grateful for your leadership in moving higher education forward and providing quality higher education opportunities locally.”
Mayor Pro Tem Michael S. Naggar further noted “The City of Temecula continues to strive to provide higher education opportunities in support of our community and to further the framework of educational achievement in our region. With high esteem, we thank our leaders in higher education who have catapulted this vision and have provided yet another progressive move forward in creating diverse higher education opportunities locally. Thank you MSJC Board of Trustees, President Dr. Roger Schultz, and staff for pioneering this initiative and enhancing the footprint of our educational system in the Temecula Valley.”
MSJC Trustee Tom Ashley, who represents Temecula and the surrounding communities, thanked the city for its help in facilitating the purchase.
“I am just so excited to be a part of MSJC at this time in its history,” Ashley said. “This facility will help Mt. San Jacinto College close the gap in the lack of opportunity for our students to get a higher education closer to home. It will reduce travel time and traffic, and, it’s good news for parents and students who want to avoid racking up college debt. Soon they can attend a high-quality, affordable community college with comprehensive course offerings right in their hometown.”
Currently, approximately 3,000 students must travel to other locations to achieve their educational goals.
The opportunity to purchase this facility allowed MSJC to use voter-approved Measure AA funds wisely and save taxpayer money. Purchasing an existing facility saves taxpayer dollars and expedites the District’s ability to provide access to quality higher education much sooner than needed for new construction. It will allow MSJC to allow leases to expire on the two facilities it operates in Temecula and merge operations into one district-owned property. MSJC anticipates the transition to take at least 18 months.
The facility will help the district address shortages in classroom space for courses that students need to earn associate degrees, career certificates or transfer to four-year universities.
For more information, visit msjc.edu/MeasureAA