ACIT holds ribbon cutting for new $53.5 million educational center
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
MAYS LANDING – The Atlantic County Institute of Technology held a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday afternoon to celebrate the opening of its new Career and Technical Education building. The event featured remarks from school leadership, county officials and state representatives, highlighting the technical school’s role in expanding workforce development and student opportunity in Atlantic County.
The ceremony marked the completion of a $53.5 million investment, funded by the New Jersey “Securing Our Children’s Future” Bond Act and Atlantic County taxpayers. The new 130,000-square-foot facility increases ACIT’s capacity by 25%, allowing for an additional 450 students. The building is designed to house 16 high-demand programs, including aviation maintenance, welding and advanced fabrication, exercise health sciences, and an expanded culinary arts lab, all designed to align educational pathways with regional economic priorities.
The project was supported by a $40 million state grant, the largest of its kind in New Jersey, and a $13.5 million local share provided by Atlantic County.
The expansion addresses a critical supply-and-demand gap. The district previously received more than two applications for every available freshman seat, Superintendent Phil Guenther said.
The new educational facility features immersive environments that mirror professional settings, such as a health sciences simulation suite funded in part by a $200,000 grant from the Bacharach Foundation.
Speakers, which included Guenther, Assemblyman Don Guardian, Atlantic County Commissioner Chairman John Risley, Principal Joseph Potkay and Atlantic County Vocational and Special Services School Board of Education President Mark W. Ludwick, emphasized the “live and work here” philosophy, aiming to graduate skilled talent directly into the local workforce to stabilize and grow the regional economy.
Guardian noted May was a good month for education in Atlantic County with the announcement that the Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine would establish a new medical school at AtlantiCare in Atlantic City, and Stockton University established the AtlantiCare College of Community Health to expand existing programs in nursing, health sciences, social work and public health.
Potkay noted that ACIT has been recognized as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence that maintains a 98% graduation rate despite 58% of the student body being classified as economically disadvantaged.
The construction of the 130,000-square-foot building was an eight-year effort from concept to completion that involved extensive collaboration with local building trades unions. Several professionals who worked on the project are ACIT alumni. The next phase of campus development includes a new stadium and track that will enhance the student athletic experience, Guenther said.
The program opened with the presentation of Colors by the school’s Jr. ROTC, and a beautiful a capella rendition of the national anthem by the ACIT Choir. Students enrolled in the high school’s culinary program provided a generous spread of appetizers, desserts and beverages, served up in the colorful cafeteria. Commemorative stone coasters designed by student Genesis Lopez, Class of 2026, featuring a design of the building blazoned in school colors, were distributed to attendees.
“It’s more than a building, it’s where futures take shape,” the programme booklet noted.
Learn more at acitech.org.
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