Cerritos College breaks ground on new admin building

A rendering of the new Student Services and Administration Building at Cerritos College, projected to open in 2026.

NORWALK – Cerritos College officials and the Board of Trustees, elected officials, and community members celebrated a groundbreaking for the new Student Services and Administration Building on February 21.

Consisting of the student services, administration, and bookstore functions, the $95-million project is funded by Measure CC Bond dollars and a state funding allocation of $16 million secured by California Assembly Speaker Emeritus Anthony Rendon in 2022.

"Funding higher education has been a top priority for me and the state for the past decade. Our focus has been on supporting community college education, in particular, to help students facing financial struggles, similar to what I experienced. I'm proud to be an active member of this community and will continue to work towards making higher education accessible to all," said Speaker Emeritus Rendon.

Following the ceremonial groundbreaking, Cerritos College President/Superintendent Dr. Jose Fierro announced that the student services portion of the building will be named in honor of Speaker Emeritus Rendon, a distinguished Falcon alumnus who continues to show long-standing support of the college and the community it serves. The student services portion of the building will house the Welcome Center, Counseling, Student Life, Student Equity & Success, Financial Aid, Admissions and Records, hyflex meeting rooms, and hyflex classrooms.

The 118,000-gross-square-foot project will provide a grand frontage to the college and a welcoming campus gateway for the community.

"We thank our community for believing in the vision of our educational master plan and for voting “yes” on our Measure CC Bond, which allows us to build this new facility,” said Cerritos College Board of Trustees President Dr. Sandra Salazar. “In dedicating this ground, we re-emphasize our commitment to ensuring quality higher education for many more generations of students.”

“We are committed to being responsible with taxpayer funds by continuously exploring other funding sources to maximize our bond dollars and resources,” said Dr. Fierro. “The new building will offer centralized resources and a modern, efficient learning environment to better serve our students, faculty, and the community for generations to come.”

Construction is expected to be completed in 2026.