The College of Extended Learning at Cal State San Bernardino will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Center of Global Innovation (CGI) building 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5. It has been moved indoors to the College of Education lobby due to high winds in the forecast. All members of the campus community are invited.

CGI, which was unanimously approved by the California State University Board of Trustees, will serve as the centerpiece to the central core of campus, enhancing student and academic life. The building is expected to open by fall 2019.

At $55 million and 71,000 square feet, directly connected to Coyote Walk by a large outdoor shaded plaza, CGI will be a three-story classroom and administrative office building that includes 24 classrooms designed to accommodate collaborative learning, reconfigurable multi-purpose rooms and casual study lounges. CGI will also include a 250-seat auditorium, retail food services, and opportunities for indoor and outdoor hosting of special programs on the third floor terrace, the exterior plaza and the large global gallery with a featured video wall.

In addition, CGI will be the home for all instructional needs and administrative operations for the College of Extended Learning, including all international student programs. According to CEL Dean Tatiana Karmanova, CGI will provide a more centralized location for international students, where they can better assimilate with the general student population.

The lighted stair tower on the north side of the building will serve for way-finding to the center of campus, offering improved pedestrian access not only to CGI, but also the library, student union and food services. Sustainable building features will include extensive use of natural lighting and ventilation, energy efficient LED lighting with smart lighting controls, water efficient plumbing fixtures, and glazed windows.

The CGI project joins an aggressive physical expansion plan to the CSUSB campus, joining the ongoing construction of 164,000 square feet of new residence halls and a dining complex (opening fall 2018) and a recently student-approved 100,000 square feet expansion of the San Manuel Student Union (scheduled to open fall 2021).

The CGI building will be located north of the library, south of parking lot N, east of the College of Education building and west of the Physical Sciences building. Facilities Planning, Design and Construction will separately communicate to the campus community impacts to roads, parking and pedestrian access paths. 

Please contact Facilities Planning, Design, and Construction at (909) 537-5136 with any questions on construction impacts or other information related to the project.

For more information on Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu.