Friday, March 18, 2022
Dear Colleagues,
This past weekend, Orange Coast College officially renamed Pirate Park "John Altobelli Park." The renaming honored the memory and contributions of Coach Altobelli, who taught and coached at OCC for nearly three decades before his tragic death in January 2020.
Coach Altobelli not only positively impacted the lives of his students and student athletes, he also went above and beyond to build a championship baseball program. In a fitting tribute, following the dedication ceremony the OCC baseball team scored 14 runs on 14 hits in their game against Irvine Valley College, with both teams wearing shirts bearing the number "14" - Coach Alto's number. I want to thank all of the individuals who helped organize this special event, as well as all those joined us at the ceremony. If you did not have a chance to attend, you can watch a video recap.
This week we also dedicated our new Student Union. At just over 40,000 square feet, the Student Union gives all students at Coast a place to gather, study and connect with one another. The building is home to our Associated Students of Orange Coast College, as well as the Veterans Resource Center, Dean of Students, and Student Outreach.
This incredible space was designed with intentional inclusivity in mind – inside you will find ample lounging and studying areas (with plenty of changing stations), gender neutral facilities, a multitude of meeting rooms, a "Mind, Body and Spirit Room" where students from every faith can gather, and a lactation room for nursing student mothers, among many other amenities. The Student Union is the result of decades of advocacy by students, faculty and staff, both past and present, as well as our administrative leadership at the Coast District and our partners in the community, without whom this facility would not exist. Built with Measure M funds, the Student Union also represents the trust that our larger community has placed in OCC to provide an innovative and inclusive learning environment for students as we help them reach their goals.
This period of transformation and new beginnings at Orange Coast College is especially meaningful as we reunite in person exactly two years after we closed our physical campus and continued serving our students virtually in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the upcoming months, we will continue with more dedication ceremonies showcasing the Kinesiology, Aquatic and Athletic Complex; and the Language, Literature & Social/Behavioral Sciences Building.
Sincerely,