St. Philip’s College to Kick Off Hispanic Heritage Month with New Building

St. Philip’s College will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Southwest Campus on Sept. 15 at 10 a.m. The Welding and Auto Collision Center, located at Quintana Road and Harmon Ave., is a 62,000-square-foot new facility for advanced instructional welding and autobody labs, welding stations, and double bay automotive prep stations.

The $20 million project is part of the Capital Improvement Bond approved by Bexar County voters in 2017. Construction started in July 2020 on the 1.5-story building that includes three computer labs; two large instructional labs for welding and auto body; two paint booths; a double bay prep area; 120 welding stations; and 32 auto body welding stations.

Students started classes in the building at the start of the Fall 2022 semester. Currently, 170 students are pursuing certificates and degrees in welding and 110 are pursuing certificates and degrees in our auto collision and refinishing program.

“Education is the economic engine that fuels our future,” said SPC President Dr. Adena Williams Loston. “This center immediately elevates the learning experiences of our students and supports regional welding and auto collision interests.

SPC also educates welding professionals. SPC Southwest Campus is the only South Texas training facility for Car-O-Liner, a frame repair company. HEB and Union Pacific Railroad are continuing education partners and the college is an American Welding Society (AWS) testing site.

The ribbon-cutting is the first event in the observance of Hispanic Heritage Month, which includes a line-up of events, speakers and performances.

For more information on capital improvement projects on the St. Philip’s College MLK and Southwest campuses, visit http://ehrr.ngskmc-eis.net/spc/cip