San Diego College of Continuing Education (SDCCE) is making history by partnering with Sacramento State University’s groundbreaking Black Honors College, providing a pathway for SDCCE graduates to transfer to one of the nation’s leading universities for Black students. SDCCE is the only noncredit institution of the state’s 25 community colleges signing a long-term partnership with the Black Honors College, the first institution of its kind in the nation. 

“SDCCE has a long-standing history of supporting underrepresented populations to reach their professional and academic goals, regardless of the often seemingly insurmountable barriers they face,” said SDCCE President Dr. Tina M. King, who signed a Memorandum of Agreement formalizing the partnership at a recent California State University Juneteenth Symposium. “Signing this memorandum is the first step in codifying a partnership establishing a unique transfer pipeline for Black and African American students into a California State University campus, and all of us at the College of Continuing Education applaud Sacramento State President Dr. Luke Wood for his trailblazing contribution in creating this pivotal pathway for our Black students.

A key goal in creating the Black Honors College is boosting Black graduation rates, Black enrollment and Black student success. The college will offer high-achieving students of all backgrounds and majors a comprehensive curriculum and distinctive research opportunities focusing on the Black and African American experience. The college is accepting applications for incoming first-year students this fall and to transfer students and Sacramento State students who have completed their general education requirements in the spring of 2025.

SDCCE, which will be celebrating its 110th anniversary beginning this fall, is among the longest-standing and largest noncredit institutions in the nation and serves as the adult education arm of the San Diego Community College District. Students are among the most diverse in the California Community Colleges – culturally, ethnically and educationally – and SDCCE plays a preeminent role in alleviating poverty in the San Diego region. While it offers short-term career training in a wide range of priority industry sectors and has a robust Emeritus program for those 55 and older, SDCCE also has vibrant adult high school and ESL divisions with students who can benefit from an established pathway to Sacramento State’s Black Honors College.

In all, 12% of students enrolled at SDCCE are Black or African American, more than 70% of students are students of color, and it is recognized for its myriad successful efforts to support various minority groups.
Sacramento State enrolls more Black and African American students than any other university in the CSU system and the California State Assembly recognized Sacramento State as California’s first Black-serving institution, acknowledging the university’s efforts to increase Black student enrollment and graduation rates. The Wall Street Journal last December ranked the university as the second most diverse college in the western United States.