Supported by a $750,000 grant from the KLA Foundation, the Milpitas Unified School District (MUSD) has broken ground on its Innovation Campus, a bold educational initiative that will offer real-world educational experiences in high technology and other industries for students of all ages and learning levels.
Representing KLA at the groundbreaking event, Jaynne Gates, corporate communications, read a message from Jen McCollum, executive director, KLA Foundation, who was unable to attend:
“Furthering access to science, technology, engineering and math education is at the forefront of what we do in the community, and with our headquarters right here in Milpitas, there is no better alignment with our philanthropic priorities than investing in state-of-the-art capabilities for local students. We can’t think of a better partner to carry out this work with than the Milpitas Unified School District and are so thrilled to see this vision become a reality.”
The first phase of the six-building, 96,000-square-foot Innovation Campus will open in fall 2023.
KLA’s donation will fund completion of the Early Childhood Development Center and Workforce Pathways Center, an instructional theater. This funding will give KLA three years of naming rights to the science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) lab.
“KLA’s support has been a cornerstone in the development of the Innovation Campus and will have a great impact in developing equitable opportunities for the future workforce,” said Cheryl Jordan, superintendent, MUSD. “This kind of public school-business partnership creates opportunities for teens and young adults to make their way toward becoming creators and designers of future technologies.”
Work is already underway at the district to raise an estimated $20 million-$25 million needed to complete the final phase of Innovation Campus, which includes building a second high school and an adult education center.
In addition to the KLA-funded Early Childhood Development and Workforce Pathways centers, Innovation Campus will include:
- A new high school and alternative classes for grades nine through 12
- An adult education center
- STEAM Labs for coding, artificial intelligence, computer science, virtual design and construction
- Career simulation labs to help students understand the legal, financial, manufacturing and health industries
“KLA and the KLA Foundation are committed to advancing humanity by investing in our communities to create a more equitable, inclusive and accessible world – goals that MUSD shares with us. We couldn’t be more excited about the groundbreaking for Innovation Campus and its impact on the school district and the students it serves.”
Jen McCollum
Based on its key philanthropic pillars of supporting education, wellness and community empowerment, KLA Foundation has funded several state-of-the-art science and technology initiatives at the school district, including:
- Programming in the schools through Girlstart – Empowering girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, and Facing History and Ourselves
- Development of an ethnic studies program for middle and high schools
- The Milpitas Elementary Olympics
- Robotics teams
Learn more about the KLA Foundation and its commitment to support social equity across it’s three pillars of education, wellness and community enrichment.
Don’t miss out on previous articles featuring the KLA Foundation’s collaborations with community-based nonprofits and KLA employee resource groups (ERGs), including KLA’s BELIEVE ERG book project celebrating National Reading Month and the Konexión ERG volunteering to assemble Science is Elementary books to distribute to students and schools in low income communities.
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