San Diego City College
HISTORY
San Diego City College is a public, two-year community college administered by the San Diego Community College District. In 1914, City College was established as the first community college in San Diego (San Diego Junior College) with 35 students and 4 instructors. City College was the third community college established in California. In 1946, City College reorganized into three branches: San Diego Vocational High School, San Diego College Arts and Sciences, and San Diego Evening Junior College. In 1972, San Diego Voters authorized a separate Community College District. In 1988, a facilities Master Plan was developed to recommend modifications to the existing facility, to meet current and future needs. Currently serving as the educational cornerstone of downtown San Diego, the college offers more than 100 majors, 100 certificate programs, and 1,500 classes each semester to 18,000 students. City College will celebrate its 100th Anniversary in 2014.
CHARACTERISTICS
Total Enrollment: 18,076
% Admitted: open admission
% of First-Years Receiving Pell Grants: 62%
Retention Rate: 40%
Six-year Graduation Rate: 12%
INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY
Community Service Learning is an experiential learning process through which students are involved in thoughtfully organized community work that makes a difference and contributes significantly to positive change in individuals, organizations, neighborhoods and larger systems in the community. It provides structured time for reflective and critical thinking that supports students’ further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility. Through SL, students link personal and social development with their academic and cognitive development. Faculty and staff support students as their primary reason for teaching. Students, in turn, want service to learn and give back to their communities. The Experiential Learning Center and its related activities will allow the college to expand the campus reach into the community to publicize student success and collect important qualitative data on student growth and cognitive development.