COD Palm Springs Campus Has Gone Vertical

COD Palm Springs Campus Promise Delivered

PALM SPRINGS — One of most spectacular sites in the city at this point in time arguably is located at the corner of Farrell Drive and Baristo Road. That is where you see the promise, made 20 years ago, of a College of the Desert Palm Springs Campus, under construction.

It is, without question, a goosebump moment. Absolutely thrilling to see overused renderings come to life in real time.

In July, Superintendent/President Val Martinez Garcia told the City Council to “Save the Date” for a “going vertical” ceremony sometime this fall.

“I think they had planned a ceremony at one point, but that didn’t happen,” City Councilmember Jeffrey Bernstein said.

What’s really important is that construction is underway on the $405 million project, communication between COD and the city is a two-way street and they have only just begun. It is the single largest investment in higher education infrastructure in the West Valley.

“Construction on College of the Desert’s new Palm Springs Campus is moving forward right on schedule toward its anticipated opening in fall 2027,” Martinez Garcia told Uken Report. “Steel is now being delivered and installed for the first two buildings to “go vertical” — the Academic Accelerator and the Campus Support Services facilities — marking a major milestone for the project. Next up will be the Culinary Institute and Event Center, followed by other campus facilities that will bring learning, innovation, and community together in one place.”

The “Going Vertical” celebration officially began during the recent State of the College event, where the COD board of trustees, COD Foundation board members and hundreds of local residents and attendees signed a commemorative steel beam that will become a permanent part of the Palm Springs Campus structure. This beam represents more than construction progress — it’s a promise fulfilled, symbolizing access, opportunity, and the shared future being built together for the Coachella Valley.”

At the left are attendees signing the beam.

Community members will have additional opportunities to add their signatures and be part of this historic moment at upcoming events.

At full operation, this campus will support more than 3,000 students, faculty and staff on site, according to Scott Adkins, director of Educational Centers for the West Valley. This alignment ensures our efforts multiply one another, making the Palm Springs campus not just a college site, but a regional workforce innovation center and destination for experimental industry connected learning, Adkins said. Our new campus has been designated to support the future work of creativity and community needs. The core academic offerings are hospitality and tourism, digital media, film and technology, including an AI hub, culinary arts, allied health and healthcare, architecture and sustainable design.