Collins Expansion Plans Taking Shape

The highly anticipated building expansion for The Collins College of Hospitality Management will begin construction this summer.

The 12,100 square-foot building is expected to be completed by late 2015 and provide essential space for classrooms, group study rooms, a student commons and faculty offices.

With preparations in full swing, plans for the building have changed because of escalating construction costs and an unfavorable bidding climate stemming from an uptick in construction projects regionally. Bids to construct the privately funded project exceeded its $10 million budget.

“By focusing on essential elements, such as those related to teaching and student success, we have been able to bring the project back into budget, and preserve the timeline for completion,” said Interim Dean and Professor Edward Merritt.  “It’s a difficult decision to scale back the project, but it is the fiscally responsible thing to do.”

Original plans called for an academic building and a student commons building. To keep the college on budget and complete the project by the original timeline, the 3,400-square-foot student commons building was shelved. If future funds are identified, the student commons building could be developed later.  

Student space can be recaptured through relatively simple changes in use of space, Merritt said. For example, one of the three large “flex” classrooms in the academic building could be repurposed into a student commons. This repurposing would not hurt learning at the college, based on student enrollment projections for the next five to seven years.

“It’s normal for there to be unexpected construction expenses. Over the past 60 days we have worked with the architect and contractor to mitigate those conditions,” Merritt said. “When all is said and done, we will have an incredible new facility to expand our nationally renowned programs. And that’s all thanks to some generous donors who believe in us, our mission and our students.”

The expansion project is made possible by $10 million in private pledges from longtime supporters of the college including: Carol and Jim Collins, for whom the college is named; Panda Restaurant Group founders Peggy and Andrew Cherng; The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation; prominent Inland Empire businessman and alumnus Eugene Park, and Richard N. and Mary Alice Frank.

The $10 million funds construction and design costs. Efforts are ongoing to raise additional private donations to supply furniture, fixtures and equipment. Naming opportunities are available. For more information contact Gina Johnson, director of major gifts, at gljohnson@csupomona.edu or 909-869-5349.

Groundbreaking Video

The team at Cal Poly Pomona's MediaVision department created a video to recap of the groundbreaking ceremony on Nov. 7, 2013.

See photos of the day on Facebook or Google+.

$10 Million Expansion Breaks Ground

(From the left) Jim Collins, Ed Merritt, Eugene Park,
Hae Park, President Ortiz, Mary Niven and Bridget Bilinksi
kick off the ceremonial groundbreaking.

(From the left) Robert Oppenheimer, James Sink,
Chi Kwan Fong; Andrew Naranjo, Ed Merritt, Mary Niven,
Jennifer Farnham and Jason Compton.

More than 150 people gathered on Nov. 7, to usher in a new era for The Collins College of Hospitality Management at Cal Poly Pomona. 

The day marked the ceremonial groundbreaking of a $10 million, 15,000 square-foot expansion, which will feature much needed space for the college’s graduate program, a social space for students and additional offices that will allow the college’s student body and faculty to grow over time. The privately funded-expansion will also include several classrooms that utilize innovative “flex” furniture and technology designed to move and adapt to the evolving needs of today’s classroom.

The Collins College expansion addresses the college’s growth needs in a sustainable way by striving to achieving LEED Gold certification on the two buildings. This would mark the first LEED Gold Certified buildings at Cal Poly Pomona. The expansion will utilize sustainable design features such shaded areas to produced cooler environments; the use of natural lighting; water-efficient fixtures, and high-performance heating- and air-conditioning systems, all in an effort to minimize the college’s impact on the environment. The project was designed by Ontario-based HMC Architects. Gilbane Building Company is the project’s construction management at-risk firm. 

The expansion project was made possible by $10 million in private pledges from longtime supporters of the college including: Carol and Jim Collins, for whom the college is named after; Panda Restaurant Group founders Andrew and Peggy Cherng; The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation; prominent Inland Empire businessman and alumnus Eugene Park, and Richard N. and Mary Alice Frank.

The college expansion is on track to open in the fall of 2015. 

New Renderings

Take a look at the latest Collins College of Hospitality Management expansion project renderings, courtesy of HMC Architects.

This bridge will link the existing breezeway along Building 79A to the new buildings. 

Outdoor seating with expansive views of the valley will be provided in the courtyard. 

This walkway will be located between the new buildings and the Building 79A. 

This is a north-facing drawing of the expansion. The existing buildings are located on the right. 

Groundbreaking Ceremony Slated for Nov. 7

Please join The Collins College of Hospitality Management as it commences a new era of growth and success on Thursday, Nov. 7. Enjoy a continental breakfast with the campus community and witness the start of a promising future.

The expansion groundbreaking ceremony will take place at the college in Parking Lot L, from 10 to 11 a.m. On-campus guests are encouraged to use BroncoExpress shuttles B1 and B2. Parking in Lot L will be limited. 

The expansion project was made possible by $10 million in private pledges from longtime supporters of the college. The donations will go toward two high-quality, state-of-the-art buildings that will house classrooms, faculty workspace and a student commons. Find more information about the expansion project online.

Out with the Old

While the doors to the restaurant and classrooms were closed this summer and students were away, The Collins College took the opportunity to complete some much-needed improvements throughout Building 79.

A large crane gets in postiton to install new HVAC units. 

This building, which houses the Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch, classrooms and faculty offices, was built over two decades ago. The original light fixtures, roofing, skylights, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) units needed replacing as they exceeded their life expectancy.  Some of the rooms needed a fresh new look.

Each new HAVC unit was painstakingly installed by the large crane.

Project Manager Andrew Naranjo made sure all renovations furthered the college’s sustainability efforts. Eco-friendly LED lighting replaced the old bulbs in the dining rooms, beverage lab, lobby, and some in the kitchen. Six aging HVAC units were taken off the roof and replaced with new, energy efficient ones. Some of the existing skylights were replaced with new solar reflective coated skylights. Additionally, the existing roofing was covered with a new reflective energy smart roof, which reflects the sun’s rays allowing the building to remain cool while reducing air conditioning costs.

With support from The Collin’s College Board of Advisors, the outdated classroom used for the restaurant’s lunch and dinner classes received new paint; flooring; tack boards; marker boards; a coat closet; a storage cabinet; a mobile lectern, and upgraded audio visual equipment.

Building 79B also got some work done this summer with plenty of freshly painted, rearranged offices and a new and improved faculty and staff lounge. 

Hilton Room Goes High Tech

This summer, the newly remodeled Hilton Flex Classroom became the first of its kind at Cal Poly Pomona to offer an advanced audio-visual system that fosters interactive student-faculty participation.

The room features four interactive projectors – controlled by the faculty instructor – with the option to wirelessly be controlled by mobile devices. All four interactive projectors have the ability to display a single image as well as display a separate image on each of the projectors simultaneously. The technology found in this new flex classroom is supported by the university’s I&IT and Help Desk staff.

Collins College faculty, who will teach in the flex classroom this fall, are encouraged to adapt their curriculum to incorporate this new technology. With the assistance of e-learning and I&IT, training sessions for faculty were held in early August and are being scheduled for September. The fall quarter will serve as a trial-run for the new technology and will aid decisions to use similar advanced technology throughout the building expansion project.