ACD - Palo Alto College celebrates grand opening of new SETC

The Alamo Colleges District Board of Trustees, Chancellor Dr. Mike Flores, and Palo Alto College (PAC) celebrated the newest addition to the Alamo Colleges District with a ribbon cutting of the new Southside Education and Training Center, also known as SETC on Saturday, August 12.

In May 2017, Bexar County voters approved a $450 million capital improvement bond for the Alamo Colleges, with $23 million allocated for the SETC. Located off of Martinez Losoya Road, the nearly 49,000-square-foot facility houses Palo Alto College’s Nursing program and Alamo College District’s Ready to Work, Adult Education, and Workforce Training programs. This expansion will benefit the futures of many individuals, including students, adults, life-long learners, and those seeking workforce experience.

“The Alamo Colleges District has a mission to empower our diverse communities for success,” said Alamo Colleges Chancellor Dr. Mike Flores. “We’re partnering with our community on a moonshot to end poverty in San Antonio and the surrounding areas by offering access and support for education and training.”

Built on land provided by Southside Independent School District, it is also part of the Alamo Colleges education and training centers, designed to increase access to higher education services in communities across Bexar County. It operates under the Department of Economic and Workforce Development.

“Since Palo Alto College was established more than 35 years ago, we have held true to our core values of serving as champions for community access, and we are grateful for our educational partnership with Southside ISD, which allowed us to make this project a reality,” said Dr. Robert Garza, president of Palo Alto College. “Alamo Colleges is making miracles happen, not only here in the Southside but all over San Antonio and the surrounding communities.”

Utilizing the collective instructional resources of the Alamo Colleges, the center meets accreditation standards that will allow students to earn both academic and workforce education degrees and certifications.

The design team at Lake Flato integrated many sustainability features including using thermal mass exterior construction to reduce solar heat gain, unconditioned outdoor circulation spaces to help reduce power demand and taking advantage of the prevailing Southeast breeze. The landscape design includes native vegetation that’s partially irrigated by capturing water run-off from mechanical condensate and redirecting it to the regional and drought-tolerant landscape.

The Alamo Colleges currently has one additional education and training center project underway – the Northwest Education and Training Center. To learn more about SETC or other Alamo Colleges education and training centers, please visit alamo.edu/setc.