The construction project is also the first major building to occur at the college since 1948, according to President Earnest H. Moreno, who says the institution has remained largely unchanged since it opened.

The $200 million facilities master plan will include a wide range of campus construction projects, among them the construction of a new fine arts and performing center, a math and science complex, upgrades to the nursing building, and renovation of the administration building. Approximately $172 million of the campus projects will be funded by Proposition A, the $1.2 billion bond measure Los Angeles voters approved in April 2001.

The new, 100,000-sf technology center that gets under way today will centralize teaching facilities for a number of disciplines, including several that have been housed in temporary buildings.

Among them are the architecture, animation and graphic arts, computer applications and office technology, business administration, engineering and electronics departments.

The college says many of the old facilities are outdated and "lack the technology infrastructure needed to prepare students for success in high-tech fields."

The new technology center will feature fiber-optic cable wiring, high-speed digital access, space for computer labs, electronic broadcast facilities and animation studios. It is due to be completed by January 2005.

East Los Angeles College is the largest of the nine colleges that compose the Los Angeles Community College District.