The San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) is a public community college in the city of San Diego, California. The district is one of the five community college districts in San Diego County; part of the greater California Community College system. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the California Community College system is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the University of California system and California State University system.
The San Diego Community College District consists of three two-year, associate degree-awarding campuses: San Diego City College, San Diego Mesa College, and San Diego Miramar College; and six San Diego Continuing Education campuses: César Chávez, CE at Mesa College, Educational Cultural Complex (ECC), Mid-City, North City, and West City. SDCCD is one of the 72 districts containing the 112 public community colleges in the state of California.
The three community colleges are fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). In late 2010, the colleges were visited by the accrediting commission team in preparation to the renewal of the colleges' credentials. In January 2011, the accrediting commission will act on the team's recommendation regarding the reaffirmation of the colleges' accreditation status for the next six years.
Serving more than 100,000 students, it is the second-largest community college district in the state of California and one of the largest districts in the United States. City College became the third community college in the state and Mesa College is one of the largest in the state today.
The District is in the midst of $1.555 billion in new construction and renovations at the three colleges and Continuing Education campuses throughout the city.
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History
Community college education in San Diego can be traced to 1914 when the Board of Education of the San Diego City Schools authorized postsecondary classes for the youth of San Diego. Classes opened that fall at San Diego High School with four faculty members and 35 students, establishing San Diego City College.
In 1921, City College moved from the high school to share facilities with the State Normal School, the four-year teachers' college which, in 1898, became San Diego State University. For 25 years, the Junior College program remained at San Diego State University. During this period, in 1938, the San Diego Vocational Junior College was established to offer training in technical-vocational skills to post high school students. The following year, the San Diego Evening Junior College was set up to provide college classes in the evening for adults who were unable to attend classes during the day.
In 1946, City College moved back to San Diego High School and reorganized into three branches: San Diego Vocational High School, San Diego College Arts and Sciences, and San Diego Evening Junior College. City College continued to grow during the 1950s and 60s as land was acquired to allow expansion through various blocks of today's northeast Downtown San Diego.
In 1964, San Diego Mesa College was opened to 1,800 students. Five years later, in 1969, San Diego Miramar College opened on 140 acres in what was then undeveloped land north of the Miramar Naval Air Station, now known as Mira Mesa. Unlike City and Mesa Colleges which offered a wide range of general education classes, Miramar College began by concentrating on law enforcement and fire science training. It has since broadened its curriculum to include the general education college courses needed by students in the rapidly growing northern area of the city, as well as new transfer and vocational programs.
In November 1972, the voters approved separating the San Diego Community College District from the San Diego Unified School District. The first election of community college district trustees was held in November 1973.
The year 1976 brought the opening of a unique district campus, the Educational Cultural Complex, dedicated to offering both college and continuing education classes to the multicultural population surrounding its Ocean View Boulevard site. In 1979-80 the administration of the Evening College program was merged with those of the day college programs at San Diego City, San Diego Mesa, and San Diego Miramar Colleges. With both college and Continuing Education programs, as well as extensive educational programs at military bases across the nation, the San Diego Community College District became second-largest community college district in California, offering a choice of educational programs unparalleled in the region.
Recent times
All campuses have receive extensive expansion and renovations in the last 20 years:
At City College, a bigger Fitness Center opened in 1992. The Educational Technology Center opened in 2000 along with the Learning Resource Center (LRC) in 2002. The Harry West Gymnasium opened in 2005, the Academic Success Center in 2009 and Career Technology Center was inaugurated in late 2010.
At Mesa College, the Learning Resource Center opened in 1998 and the Allied Health Education and Training Facility opened in late 2009 along with a new parking structure finished the same year.
At Miramar College, the Southern California Biotechnology and Advanced Transportation and Energy Centers opened in 2004. The last phase of the 32-acre Hourglass Park Field Athletic Complex was completed in 2009 and the new Business and Math building in 2010.
The Continuing Education Mid-City and West City campuses were completed in 2009.
The latest projects are being funded by the bond measure, Propositions S and N, passed in 2002 and 2006, of $1.555 billion. Further construction and renovations are taking place and will continue through 2014 at the three colleges and Continuing Education campuses, including construction of new Arts and Humanities, Math and Science and Engineering Technology buildings at City College; Student Services and Math and Science buildings at Mesa College; Police Station/parking structure and Cafeteria/Bookstore/Student Center buildings at Miramar College; and construction of new Continuing Education Cesar Chavez and North City campuses and a brand new Continuing Education Linda Vista campus as well as a new building extension to the ECC campus.
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Governance
The San Diego Community College District is governed by a five-member, locally elected Board of Trustees and three student members serving on a rotating basis, representing each of the three colleges. The sitting student trustee has an advisory vote on the Board. Shared governance activities involve faculty, students and staff in the development of solutions to key policy and budget issues. The five trustees are elected in even-numbered years to four-year terms by the voters of San Diego. Trustee candidates first run in district-only elections. The top two vote-getters in each district run citywide in the general election.
Each college of the SDCCD, including Continuing Education, is headed by a president and three vice presidents overseeing instruction, administrative services, and student services, respectively. Each academic school department is headed by a dean.
Administration
The San Diego Community College District has five major operational components: City College, Mesa College, Miramar College, Continuing Education, and the District administrative departments that support campus and overall operations. The administrative departments include Business Services, Facilities Management, Human Resources, Instructional Services and Student Services.
Functions that are the responsibility of the District administrative departments are intended to provide for efficiency and continuity of services and programs. Compliance and functions that are statutorily required are also the responsibility of various District operations. The provision of educational programs, student support services, staff development, direct campus operations, and various ancillary functions are the responsibility of each College and Continuing Education.
All administrative departments and operations in the District Office are under the final authority of the Chancellor and the College/Continuing Education operations are under the final authority of the President, who reports to the Chancellor. The Board of Trustees is the final level of authority for all functions within the District.
Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees is responsible for establishing policies that govern all activities related to conducting the business of the District, the Colleges, and Continuing Education. Development and review of policies and procedures are collegial efforts involving a variety of participatory governance groups. For policies and regulations that affect academic and professional matters, the Board relies primarily on the Academic Senates; on matters defined as within the scope of bargaining interests, the Board follows the requirements of negotiations. For administrative matters, the Board relies primarily on the recommendations of staff with input from various constituencies in the development and review process. The general public may comment at public Board meetings on any policy consideration before the Board.
2013-2014 Board Members
District Chancellor
The Chancellor, is the District's Chief Executive Officer and is responsible for carrying out the policies approved by the Board of Trustees and for providing overall leadership for the District. The Chancellor maintains a Cabinet composed by the Presidents of the Colleges/Continuing Education, five Vice Chancellors overseeing the District's departments of Business and Technology Services, Student Services, Human Resources and Administrative Services, Facilities Management, and Instructional Services; and the Director of Communications and Public Relations.
Current Chancellor
Current Vice Chancellors
College Presidents
The President is the institutional Chief Executive Officer of the College/Continuing Education. The President reports to the Chancellor. The President is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the total College/Continuing Education program and provides leadership and coordination for the College/Continuing Education community. The Presidents and Chancellor provide overall leadership and authority on all of the functional areas. Each President maintains a Cabinet composed of three Vice Presidents overseeing Instruction, Administrative Services and Student Services and the Dean of each School of each College including the Dean of Student Affairs and the Dean of Student Development and Matriculation.
Current Presidents
Finances
For the 2009-2010 academic year, the SDCCD's budget reached almost $780 million including almost $383.4 million from the voter-approved Proposition S and N bond measure. In response to the state and local financial crisis, the San Diego Community College District conducted a $30 million budget cut for the 2009-10 academic year.
Salaries
The District Chancellor earns a salary above $200,000. The Board of Trustees receive a monthly compensation of less than $1000 each. For the 2009-2010 academic period, annual salaries were broken down as follow:
Campuses
The San Diego Community College District consists of three two-year community colleges and seven Continuing Education campuses. For the 2009-10 school year, all institutions were serving 102,649 students. The three colleges offer associate degrees and certificates in occupational programs that prepare students for entry-level jobs, and arts and sciences programs that transfer to four-year colleges and universities. Continuing Education's Educational Cultural Complex (ECC) also offers classes leading to associate degrees and certificates.
The Continuing Education campuses offer adults the opportunity to renew their learning experiences through noncredit vocational, basic skills, life skills, and enrichment classes at sites throughout the city. A number of special programs are unique to the city, including KSDS-FM all-jazz radio, the Center for Competitive and Applied Technologies, and the Workplace Learning Resource Center.
San Diego City College
Located in Downtown San Diego as the first community college in the city and the third in California, City College sits on 60 acres and offers over 100 majors to more than 20,000 students. Besides general education, transfer and AA/AS degree programs, some of the unique disciplines available at City are:
San Diego Mesa College
As one of the largest and most successful of California's 112 community colleges, and as the largest college in the San Diego Community College District, Mesa College focuses on high academic standards to maintain one of the highest student transfer rates in California. The college opened in 1964 and it now serves over 24,000 students on a campus of 104 acres offering more than 150 programs of instruction. Among its unique programs available on campus are:
San Diego Miramar College
Located on 120 acres in the Mira Mesa/Scripps Ranch suburban area of San Diego along the I-15 corridor, Miramar opened as a training facility for San Diego's law enforcement personnel and firefighters in 1969.
Today, Miramar College offers over 120 certificates, associate degrees, and comprehensive 4-year university transfer programs and is home to the Southern California Biotechnology Center, the Advanced Transportation and Energy Center, and the San Diego Regional Public Safety Institute which provides training for nearly all law enforcement officers and firefighters within San Diego County and also trains EMTs and offers the only open water lifeguard degree in the world. Miramar has the only entry-level biotechnology program in San Diego County. Miramar boasts unique career training in the following:
San Diego Continuing Education
San Diego Continuing Education was the first and remains the only community college continuing education institution in California to meet the standards for independent accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. SDCE was also one of the first in California to establish a Joint High School Diploma partnership with the local school district. San Diego Continuing Education was also among the first continuing education programs in California to serve 100,000 students per academic year.
Today, the San Diego Continuing Education system consists of seven campuses and 56 partnered locations throughout the city where instruction may be offered in collaboration with schools, community service providers, and other institutions. Instruction offered at SDCE includes:
Rankings
There is no official ranking for community colleges in California or the United States. Community colleges vary widely in terms of student population, faculty and classes available and students' reasons for enrollment and commitment to their educational goals. All of this directly affects the overall annual amount of degrees awarded and transfers to 4-year universities at each college. Additionally, community colleges are aimed at providing educational opportunities to their immediate and local region to allow the local population to expand their knowledge, education and to prepare them for further education for those seeking 4-year college degrees and beyond.
Among the various reasons local residents seek enrollment at community colleges are the flexibility they provide to accommodate daily life with a college education; their much lower cost of attendance than for-profit schools, and their open enrollment which allows for virtually anyone to pursue a higher education including those who must start from scratch and do not immediately possess the academic background required for admission to universities.
For statistical purposes, community colleges do collect comparable information following usual criteria such as demographics, size and attendance, number of degrees awarded, numbered of transfers to higher institutions, spending, etc.
By comparison, for the 2009-2010 academic year, the San Diego Community College District had the same associate degree-awarding rate as the Los Angeles Community College District in relation to each districts' annual student population. For the same academic year, the Coast Community College District granted almost 3 times as many more associate degrees in relation to both districts' annual student population.
Within the SDCCD 2009-2010
*Combined land space of all SDCCD campuses including District Office's land space. **Combined land space of all SDCE campuses. ***Vocational Certificate. ****Not Applicable.
Statewide
The San Diego Community College District has the largest Continuing Education institution of its kind in the United States. The District has the second-largest operational expenditures in the state, excluding voter-passed bond measures. It is California's third-largest community college district in terms of annual unduplicated enrollments and in 2010 was the fourth highest associate degree awarder. San Diego Mesa College is the 16th largest community college in the state in terms of enrollments.
Ten largest California community college districts
2009-2010 academic year
*Year first college was founded. **Excludes bond measure monies. (a)C=credit/NC=non-credit. (b)Excludes student workers and part-time non-college-affiliated staff. (c)Chancellor's Office-approved awards requiring 18+ semester units only.
Admissions
The San Diego Community College District conducts open enrollment in all of its three community colleges and seven Continuing Education campuses. With this in mind, admission is open to anyone who meets one of the following criteria:
Community College admission
- Persons who possess a high school diploma or California high school proficiency exam certification or GED with an average score of 45 or higher.
- Persons 18 years of age or older or emancipated minors who do not possess a high school diploma or equivalent may be admitted by the college under provisional admission status.
- High school students requesting concurrent enrollment may be admitted as "special part-time" students.
- Persons who are under 18 years of age who do not have a high school diploma and are not enrolled in a high school may be admitted as a special full-time student pursuant to Education Code 48800.5 subject to approval of the high school governing board and the college President where the student is planning to attend. Special full-time student will be admitted under provisional admission status.
- Persons 18 years of age or older currently pursuing their high school diploma or GED at a joint-high school diploma/GED-granting continuing education institution may also be admitted.
Continuing Education admission
- Persons 18 years of age or older and residents of California.
- Persons younger than 18 who are high school graduates, married or in the military and a resident of California.
Matriculation
Matriculation is a state-mandated program to enhance access to the California Community Colleges and is the process in which a student's educational endeavors are systematically analyze, executed and enforced. There are five steps in the process of matriculation:
- Applying to a college and being admitted.
- Orientation to familiarize the student with the college, faculty, administration, academics, regulations, and other college/student-related matters.
- Assessment to measure the student's current articulative level of English and math to allow proper placement in courses and determine which prerequisites must be met.
- Program Planning to provide comprehensive counseling and advise in order to establish educational goals and to identify support services to achieve such goals.
- Educational Plan Development to organize the student's educational goals (earn a degree, transfer to a 4-year school, update skills, learn a new skill, etc.) and how to meet them.
Cost of Attendance
Attendance to any of the District's three community colleges will incur fees and expenses. Several fees are mandatory and may only be waived upon eligibility of the student and approval by the college. The following are mandatory fees for all students seeking enrollment:
Enrollment Fees
As established by the California Community Colleges, both residents of California and non-residents pay $46 per unit at any of the 112 public community colleges in the state.
Health Services Fee
All students are assessed a mandatory fee for health services and accident insurance, whether or not they choose to use the health services.
- $18 at City, Mesa and Miramar Colleges per fall and spring semester
- $14 at City and Miramar Colleges for summer semester
- $15 at Mesa College for summer semester
Non-Resident tuition
Students who are not legal residents of California at the time of enrollment, aside from the $26 per-unit enrollment fee, will be charged as follow:
- $183 at City and Miramar Colleges per unit
- $190 at Mesa College per unit
Student Representation Fee
As required by California Education Code 76060.5, all students will be assessed a Student Representation Fee of $1 upon enrollment.
Parking permits
Students wishing to park their vehicles on campus must display the required parking permit. The following applies for all three community colleges:
- $5 for a daily permit
- $35 for a semester permit for automobiles
- $17.50 for a semester permit for motorcycles
Additional Fees
The following fees are incidental and may only be waived upon eligibility of the student and approval of the college.
- Associated Student Membership fee is $8 per academic year at all three community colleges.
- Credit by Examination fee is $20 per unit at City and Miramar Colleges and $26 per unit at Mesa College.
- Liability Insurance fee (if required) is $7 per semester at all three community colleges.
- Transcript of Record fee (first two transcripts are free) is $5 for each additional transcript at all three community colleges.
Other costs associated with attendance include books, supplies, transportation to/from campus, food and housing. These costs vary widely depending on the student's academic workload and individual personal necessaries and requirements. On average, a full-time student should generally plan on spending approximately $312 on enrollment fees and $420 for books and supplies each semester. A 3-unit course will cost $78 while a 4-unit course will cost $104 and the less common 5-unit course costs $130.
Financial Aid
Financial aid is available for those who qualify at all three community colleges. There are several sources of financial aid available at all three community colleges such as federal and state monies. Some sources of aid are only available at one or two colleges but not all three such as grants or scholarships aimed to aid students attending the endorsed college or enrolled in a particular academic study as agreed between the college and the endowing institution. Students are advice to visit their college's financial aid office or website for information as each financial aid program has its own requirements, procedures and deadlines.
Some of the sources of financial aid available at City, Mesa and Miramar colleges are:
San Diego City, Mesa, and Miramar Colleges no longer participate in federal unsubsidized loan programs.
Academics
City College, Mesa College, and Miramar College as public two-year community colleges administered by the San Diego Community College District offer credit programs leading to degrees, transfer, employment, and skills improvement along with the District's Continuing Education division of seven major campuses throughout San Diego.
As required by the voters of San Diego in 1972, the San Diego Community College District is to provide education for all high school graduates and adults 18 years of age and older in the service region. This charge includes providing adult basic education, including GED/High School Diploma, through sophomore-level college degree programs, with both academic and vocational curricula.
San Diego Community Colleges offer over 130 individual disciplines with over 300 academic programs that lead to associate degrees or Certificates of Performance. Academics are held within individual schools at each college which in turn are divided into separate departments holding their areas of study and instruction:
Schools at City College
Schools at Mesa College
Schools at Miramar
Schools at Continuing Education
References 1. 2012-13 Annual Report to the Community
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