Cerro Coso Community College Breaks Ground on New Tehachapi Campus

TEHACHAPI, Calif. — Cerro Coso Community College, the Kern Community College District, and community leaders gathered Tuesday, September 1, to celebrate the groundbreaking of Cerro Coso’s new Tehachapi campus at 737 W. Tehachapi Blvd.

The ceremony marked the beginning of construction on the first phase of a permanent campus designed to expand access to higher education, career preparation, and student services in Tehachapi and the surrounding communities.

Cerro Coso has offered classes in Tehachapi for more than a decade with the support of the Tehachapi Unified School District. The college began exploring options for a permanent campus approximately five years ago as demand grew and the limitations of its existing leased facilities became more apparent.

“A groundbreaking ceremony is the moment when years of planning finally become something tangible,” said Dr. Chad Houck, Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services at Cerro Coso Community College, who served as master of ceremonies. “This campus is an investment in our students, in education and workforce development, and in the future of the Tehachapi community.”

Speakers included Dr. Corey Marvin, Interim President of Cerro Coso Community College; Greg Garrett, Tehachapi City Manager; Christina Scrivner, Kern Community College District trustee; and Dr. Sean Hancock, Interim Chancellor of the Kern Community College District.

“College isn’t somewhere else. It’s right here, in their community, and it’s within reach,” Scrivner said. “This campus is an investment in students, families, and the future of Tehachapi.”

Hancock, who participated in the project’s early planning while serving as president of Cerro Coso, emphasized the opportunities the new campus will provide.

“As exciting as it is to finally break ground, the most important thing about this campus isn’t the building. It’s what will happen here,” Hancock said. “Students will take their first college class here. They will prepare for careers, earn degrees and certificates, transfer, and return to education at different points in their lives.”

The approximately 6.8-acre campus will be developed in phases. Phase 1 is expected to include four instructional buildings totaling approximately 19,320 square feet, along with parking, walkways, landscaping, and supporting infrastructure. The new campus is expected to open in 2027.

The campus will support general education, transfer preparation, career and technical education, and workforce-focused programs. Current Cerro Coso offerings in Tehachapi include programs in business, clinical medical assisting, emergency medical technology, law enforcement, liberal arts, psychology, visual and performing arts, wildland firefighting, and welding.

The project reflects a partnership among Cerro Coso Community College, the Kern Community College District, the City of Tehachapi, the Tehachapi Unified School District, and other community and educational partners.

“We have worked a long time to reach this groundbreaking, but the day I’m really looking forward to is the day students walk through these doors,” Hancock said. “They should simply know that Cerro Coso is here for them.”

Photo: Representative from Cerro Coso Community College, Kern Community College District (KCCD), along with KCCD trustees and the city manager.