Battelle donates $3.25M to establish STEM center at CBC
Columbia Basin College, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Battelle officials celebrated Battelle’s largest philanthropic gift throughout its 60-year history in the Tri-Cities on July 9. The $3.25 million donation will be use dto establish a Community STEM Learning Center on CBC’s Pasco campus.
Courtesy PNNLBattelle will donate $3.25 million to Columbia Basin College to establish a new learning center focused on science, technology, engineering and math disciplines in its largest philanthropic gift ever in the Tri-Cities.
The donation is the latest effort by the nonprofit private company to further STEM learning in the Tri-Cities since it began operating Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 60 years ago, according to a news release.
“This gift aligns closely with Battelle’s mission to leverage science and technology for the betterment of society,” Lou Von Thaer, president and CEO of Battelle, said in a statement. “The partnerships established through this Community STEM Learning Center will build on CBC’s whole-family engagement model to meet the community’s needs and encourage students to pursue the essential STEM careers of tomorrow.”
Battelle and the college began discussing the concept of a STEM center in January, said Elizabeth Burtner, the college’s assistant vice president for marketing and research, in an email to the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business.
Called the Community STEM Learning Center, it will be used to provide hands-on and immersive STEM learning experiences for students, families, educators and the public. Part of Battelle’s donation will be used to renovate an existing but underused building on the college’s Pasco campus for the center and its programs. The building once was the home of Pasco School District’s New Horizons High School and is located near the Highway 395 off-ramp off Argent Road on the campus’s northwest corner.
The building once was the home of Pasco School District’s New Horizons High School will become the new Community STEM Learning Center on the Columbia Basin College campus in Pasco.
| Courtesy PNNL“We know that hands-on STEM experiences are vital to students, our community, and educators to build the skills and experiences to prepare them to take on future scientific challenges,” said CBC President Rebekah Woods in a statement.
Few details were available on when the center would begin renovations or operations.
“This gift was just announced. We are working through a proper timeline,” Burtner said.
Battelle has donated $33.7 million in philanthropic investments to support community organizations in the Tri-Cities, along with PNNL staff volunteering for hundreds of thousands of hours, over the last decade.
STEM has been part of the impetus behind much of CBC’s growth in enrollment and programs in recent years. The college recently requested permission from the State Board for Community & Technical Colleges to offer its 11th four-year degree, a bachelor’s in computer science. The college already offers bachelor’s degrees in cybersecurity and software development.
CBC’s enrollment has climbed steadily since hitting a low of just over 9,600 students during the 2020-21 academic year. It’s currently on pace to meet or exceed its pre-pandemic enrollment record of 11,446 set in the 2018-19 academic year.
