TITUSVILLE, Pa. – Nearly 200 people from the region celebrated the opening of the newly renovated student union at the Education & Training Center at Pitt-Titusville and toured its updated facilities on April 24.
Elected officials and representatives from local businesses, the community, students, faculty and staff attended the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly renovated J. Curtis McKinney II Student Union and celebrated the successful capital campaign, which made the renovation project possible.
“This is an incredible day for our students, our community and the future of education and workforce development in the region,” said Rick Esch, Pitt-Titusville’s president. “Today marks not only the opening of a renovated facility, but also the realization of a bold vision that combines education, innovation, and community to create real and lasting opportunities.”
“This is more than a building,” Esch continued. “It’s a promise. A promise that ETC is leading and shaping the future of education and workforce training in ways that are flexible and grounded in real-world need.”
The newly renovated facility includes the recently named Peter C. Rossin Manufacturing Center, a makerspace, a digital arts studio, two gallery spaces, upgraded classrooms, and collaborative areas designed to spark innovation and hands-on learning.
The renovation began in the spring of 2024 to serve as a springboard for workforce development advancements for the region. Since the MAC’s relocation to Titusville in 2021, it had been located off-campus. The new on-campus facility is equipped with an assortment of tools and equipment to give students hands-on experience, including mills, lathes, band saws, a drill press, and disc and belt grinders. The center also includes quality control and inspection tools, including a CNC coordinate measuring machine and optical comparator.
In addition to the unveiling of the new facility, the event highlighted ETC’s success in surpassing its remarkable $3 million capital campaign goal, which helped to support the renovation project.
To learn more, visit https://etc.pitt.edu/
