College’s Gudelsky Institute for Technology Celebrates 25 Years

The GITE Fabrication Lab Maker Space offers students and the community affordable access to the newest technologies in digital fabrication. The lab is equipped with flexible, computer-controlled machines that make products in various materials and sizes.

The Montgomery County Council last week held a proclamation ceremony to celebrate the 25th anniversary of MC’s Homer S. Gudelsky Institute for Technical Education (GITE).

October 3, 2017, marked the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Homer S. Gudelsky Institute for Technical Education. The Montgomery County Council held a proclamation ceremony in June to celebrate the anniversary of the 60,000-square-foot facility, initially created to provide a solution to the shrinking labor pool of highly trained technicians in the Washington metropolitan area.

The building on the Rockville Campus was designed to house programs for both credit and noncredit technical programs. It was the first Montgomery College building constructed without state funding, relying instead on a challenge match pledge from the Montgomery County Council. The county council matched a contribution from the Homer and Martha Gudelsky Foundation of $1.5 million, plus other private donations in cash and equipment totaling $3.4 million. The $6.8 million facility was the first building in the state dedicated for technical education.

Building and construction technology training includes a comprehensive mixture of academic and practical training in areas of residential building. Career paths include carpenter, plumber, electrician, HVAC technician, trade supervisor, code official, and builder.

At the time, the capital campaign for the Institute for Technical Education was the largest ever undertaken by Montgomery College. Montgomery College President Robert E. Parilla worked closely with Montgomery County Executive Sidney Kramer and Milton F. “Sonny” Clogg ’48, who served as chair of the Institute for Technical Education Steering Committee.

And, as the glass plaques above Homer Gudelsky’s portrait in the lobby proclaim, it was the first building dedicated to the “worth and dignity of technicians.”

For the last quarter century, Montgomery College has honored donor wishes and the industry sectors they represented. Over the years, the College has worked with industry leaders to ensure that all programming aligns with current industry needs and standards.

Through ongoing partnerships with the business community, program advisory groups, and students served, the GITE continues to provide innovative programming:
Automotive technology now includes training and certification preparation for hybrid and electric vehicles.

• Building trades technology has added renewable energy and conservation to the curriculum with training in wind and solar technology.
• In the coming months, programming will be added in building automation systems: the digital controls that provide efficiency and conservation for large building HVAC systems.
• The welding program will be revised and equipment will be upgraded to align with the American Welding Society to meet the growing shortage of qualified welders throughout the region.

GITE houses the College’s automotive technology program, which offers degree, certificate, and noncredit courses preparing students for industry-recognized National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) technician certification exams.

Photos by Pete Vidal and Sanjay Suchak