LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Simmons College of Kentucky is celebrating the opening of it's brand new educational center.
A dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremonies were held Wednesday at the former Better Business Bureau building on 4th Street.
The building is now home to the Diane Porter Educational Center, which will become home to the Simmons College Teacher Education Program.
The center was named after Diane Porter, a longtime Louisville educator who served 13 years on the Jefferson County Board of Education, where she also served as the board's chairperson.
"Teaching is something that we must take care of. Education is something that we must take care of for our children," Porter said during Wednesday's dedication ceremony.
Porter resigned as the board's chair in October 2023. She cited health reasons in her resignation letter, writing "the nature of my chronic illness demands that I prioritize my health and dedicate sufficient time for treatment, recovery, and self-care. Despite my best efforts, I have realized that I am unable to continue fulfilling my professional responsibilities at the level of excellence that our district expects and that I strive to deliver."
Porter's career of working to educate students at Jefferson County Public Schools, started in the classroom at schools like Louisville Male, Fern Creek, Thomas Jefferson and Pleasure Ridge Park. She spent 40 years as a teacher, guidance counselor, assistant principal and principal.
The center includes classrooms, offices and an educational library. School leaders streamed Wednesday's ceremonies live on Facebook, which you can watch by clicking here.
The Simmons Teacher Education Program "offers dynamic and comprehensive programs to prepare aspiring educators for successful careers in the field of Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education," according to the school's website.Â
Founded in 1879, Simmons is Louisville's only Historically Black College and University. To learn more about Simmons College, click here.Â
To learn more about the university's STEP program, click here.
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