Officials breaks ground on the new $15 million Horticulture Education Center in Taylor. The center will offer agriculture, hydroponics, gardening, aquaponics and other related learning and career opportunities.
Wayne County Community College District last month broke ground on its new $15 million Horticulture Education Center that will focus on learning opportunities and career advancement in Michigan’s second largest industry sector — agriculture. The new Education Center is at the Downriver Campus, located at 21000 North Line Road, Taylor.
The WCCCD Horticulture Education Center is expected to provide “an innovative learning space in the comprehensive study of Agriscience Technology and specialized programming in landscape and fruit and crop management.”
The facility will be a LEED-certified learning environment by using rainwater harvesting systems, mechanically ventilated operable roofs, computer controlled greenhouse systems and a passive ventilation system. Students will use a STEM lab for extensive research, specialized greenhouse technologies, and spaces for hands-on experiences in aquaponics, irrigation, landscape restoration and urban agriculture.
“Our mission has always been to provide pathways to better lives through higher education,” WCCCD Downriver President Anthony Arminiak said. “The new Horticulture Center goes straight to that mission, providing new career and learning paths for students and residents alike in a high-demand, multi-faceted field.”
The Horticulture Education Center will offer certification and associate’s degree programs for those seeking agricultural careers. The center will also offer continuing education opportunities in programs such as urban agriculture and gardening, as well as workforce development and training, and academic programs towards advanced degrees in partnership with Michigan State University’s Institute of Agricultural Technology. These programs will be available to community partners as well as local high schools, colleges and universities, area conservatories, gardening clubs, and landscapers.
The WCCCD Horticulture Education Center is scheduled to open in 2020.
WCCCD, the largest urban community college in Michigan, is a multi-campus district with six campus locations, including the Mary Ellen Stempfle University Center and the Michigan Institute for Public Safety Education, serving more than 70,000 credit and non-credit students annually across 36 cities and townships, and more than 500 square miles. For more information, visit www.wcccd.edu.