This year, the East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) is celebrating 30 years of changing lives through the career training we provide to high school students and adults. Much has changed since EVIT opened its doors three decades ago – especially in the southeast Valley of the EVIT Career Technical Education District, where our Queen Creek, Gilbert and Chandler communities are booming.
EVIT started plans for accommodating the growing southeast Valley back in 2011 when it opened the East Campus, now renamed the Power Campus, at 6625 S. Power Road in Mesa. For years, the Power Campus offered cosmetology, a few health-care programs and aviation. Then the future engineers program was added. Today, our 10-acre Power Campus has over 1,000 students. Some programs, such as cosmetology and veterinary assistant, are nearly bursting at the seams. Every year, we have waiting lists from students who want to attend these programs at the Power Campus.
So we are expanding the campus. The new aviation building, including a plane hangar, should be completed by January, and the Veterinary Sciences and Engineering expansion by next August. Renovations for the Health Sciences and Cosmetology should also be finished by next August, and the third building expansion is expected to begin in the 2022-23 school year.
Starting next August, we are also expanding three programs offered now only at the EVIT Main Campus, 1601 W. Main St., in Mesa – aesthetics, criminal justice and welding – to the Power Campus. This will allow students who live in the southeast Valley to take those programs closer to home. They will also continue to have the choice of enrolling in one of over 40 career training programs offered at the Main Campus.
In addition to the physical expansion of the Power Campus, EVIT is also taking the lead on another issue to help bring more opportunities to our students at both the Power and Main campuses. We are currently in discussions with lawmakers to seek legislation that would allow CTEDs like EVIT to offer associate degrees. We already provide many opportunities for students to earn college credit through dual enrollment at community colleges and other partnerships. But with the ability to offer associate degrees to students while they are still in high school, we will be greatly increasing their chance of being successful in their chosen career. We already provide post-secondary level training for adult students that is equal to the career and technical education they can receive at a community college, so it only makes sense that we should be allowed to offer them the opportunity to earn an associate degree too.
Why are we doing all of this? Because at EVIT, we truly believe that we change lives by loving our students and serving our communities. That means we strive to provide our students with the same advantages and opportunities that we want for our own families. I want your children, as well as my own, to thrive in life and a rewarding career.
But none of this should be done in a vacuum. We welcome the input of students, parents, community and state leaders, and taxpayers. So if you have suggestions on what we can do to better meet the needs of the East Valley, please feel free to contact me at cwilson@evit.com.
Dr. Chad Wilson is the superintendent of the East Valley Institute of Technology, a Career Technical Education District with two central campuses in Mesa and a branch campus at Apache Junction High School. For more information, visit www.evit.com.
