Message from the President

January 29, 2024

Dear SDCCE Community,

Thank you all for joining me this morning for SDCCE's 2024 Spring Institution Day! It is always a pleasure when we can all come together in community ahead of a new semester. As classes begin on January 31st, it was critical that we revisit our institutional goals and 7-year strategic plan as well as focus on the upcoming noncredit reform, accreditation, and our college's critical resources, partnerships, and initiatives.

We will be celebrating our 110 years of greatness together in depth during Fall Convocation as our institution was founded in September 1914. Leading up to the fall, we will be doing a countdown showcasing our great legacy. We will kickoff our campaign this February during Black History Month! We will see you back at the Educational Cultural Complex tomorrow as flex days continue.

As I mentioned, here are the videos from Spring Institution Day. Please enjoy:

View the photo album and don't forget to tag our college @SDCCEEDU!

Special thank you to Carla Grossini-Concha, Executive President's Team, IT, Facilities, and to all hands-on deck who made this institution day memorable.

Enrollment Updates

Enrollment continues to be strong for the fall semester. SDCCE’s overall enrollment for fall stands at 29,310 (11% greater than this time last year). SDCCE’s overall headcount is currently 15,878, an increase of 13% compared to this time last fall (13,993). FTEF scheduled for the fall semester is 9% higher than last fall (188.91 to 172.93).

Spring classes will begin on January 31st, 2024. SDCCE’s overall enrollment for spring stands at 23,618 (14% greater than this time last year, and a 9% increase from last week). SDCCE’s overall headcount is currently 13,137 an increase of 8% compared to this time last spring (12,190) and a 9% increase to last week (12,104). FTEF scheduled for the spring semester is 4% higher than last spring (188.87 to 180.83). View the enrollment report here.

As you know, SDCCE was heavily impacted, and we want to ensure that we are here to support our community right here in Southeastern San Diego. I am pleased to announce SDCCE and The San Diego Black American Policy Foundation (BAPACSD) received $30,000 from the Conrad Prebys Foundation to offer Emergency Relief Aid to residents of South 42nd Street.

This funding will allow us to support and deliver items to residents such as gift cards for transportation, food, and hotel vouchers, in addition to offering sanitation supplies, clothing, and other needed household materials. We are all hands-on deck to support our community and we are raising more funds to extend support to residents that were impacted beyond 42nd Street. Learn more about this funding in SDCCE's News Room.

President King in group SDCCE’s Annual Associated Student Body (ASB) Leadership Luncheon with myself and SDCCE leadership was held on January 23rd at the Educational Cultural Complex. This event happened despite the heavy January 22nd rainfall. I am so proud of our student leadership and our employees who support them in their journey and growth as leaders.

Please join me for my semi-annual President's Coffee and Chats! I will be joining you all at each campus throughout the spring semester, beginning February 2nd.

2/2/2024 CE AT MIRAMAR

9:00am - 10:00am Room A104

2/14/2024 EDUCATIONAL CULTURAL COMPLEX

9:00am - 10:00am Room 169

4/15/2024 CESAR CHAVEZ

9:00am - 10:00am

4/17/2024 CE AT MESA

11:00am - 12:00am Room 118-120

4/24/2024 MID-CITY

10:30am - 11:30am Conference Room 127

4/26/2024 NORTH CITY

9:00am - 10:00am Multipurpose Room

5/2/2024 WEST CITY

10:00am - 11:00am Conference Room 119

As the Spring semester approaches, Be Well SDCCE is bringing back programming to support the entire campus community. Here a few upcoming events:

“This Thing Called Life”, a support group for students only will be starting up again every 2nd & 4th Wednesday of the month. (In February the first session will be on the 7th.)

“Think it Through Thursday”, for faculty and professional staff only, will be a space to decompress, destress, and re-fuel with helpful psycho-educational workshops. (In February the first session will be on February 8th.)

Interested in learning about mindfulness? Come to one of our “Mind Your Mind” workshops on your campus! Attendees will learn how to develop a positive and empowering relationship with yourself, discover the power of self-care and self-acceptance, and find new ways to prioritize well-being. Check out our flyer for times and locations, this is open to all CE students, faculty, and staff.

The SDCCD invites all students to attend the Spring 2024 “Heart Chats” – Wednesdays at 2pm on Zoom. Starting 1/31/24.

SDCCE’s partnership with United Taxi Workers of San Diego will launch on January 31, 2024. Under terms of a Memorandum of Understanding, SDCCE will issue $100 cab-ride vouchers to students who qualify for the college’s basic needs services. In honor of this inaugural partnership, I alongside VPs Carter, Spradley, and Sabanos will be onsite at Mid-City Campus on January 31st to welcome United Taxi Workers of San Diego and to conduct outreach with our students in person.

Save the date! On February 9th from 6pm – 9pm at City College our very own Dr. Shakerra Carter will be a featured panelist at the Black Educators Networking event.

If you have a question about online education, the SDCCE Online Faculty Mentors can help you out with one-to-one and group mentoring. To schedule a mentoring session, please email Anagit Traganza, Online Faculty Mentor Facilitator, atraganz@sdccd.edu.

SDCCE’s Office of Student Affairs will host Welcome Week activities at all 7 SDCCE campuses beginning January 31st.

SDCCE’s Emeritus Writers Workshop student Belinda Kein was published in the New York Times and in the Razor, a literary magazine. Emeritus Writers Workshop Professor Esteban Alvarado published two poems in the Electric Literature, a nonprofit digital publisher.

The new flooring for SDCCE’s Headquarters is done at the Educational Cultural Complex.

The SDCCE Scholarship and Awards application is open now through January 31st! Students can apply here for a scholarship. For questions regarding the scholarship program, contact the Office of Student Affairs at SDCCEStudentAffairs@sdccd.edu

A reminder that all requests of the Communications Department must be approved by a dean or vice president and requires submission of a request form. You can find the Project Request Form link on the Faculty and Staff Resources Page of our website. Please allow ten working days for a request to be completed. If a request needs immediate attention, please complete the form and contact the Public Information Officer.

President's Updates

Tune in tonight on ABC 10 News to learn more about how the January 22nd rainfall affected SDCCE campuses and our students. Special thank you to Dean Andrei Lucas and ESL Student Mariaelena for speaking with reporter, Perla Shaheen, about our college's weather-related impacts.

It was great to present at the AACC Workforce Development Institute in NOLA. I enjoy serving on the AACC WDI Commission, I always learn about the different programs across the nation that are doing great work to bolster economic mobility through education. My Panel Session focused on dual enrollment programs in CTE offer employers a skilled pipeline of job seekers and offer students an opportunity to enter the workforce earlier, with valuable, portable credentials. This session highlighted working models with high success rates including programs at SDCCE.

The Research Corner

This week we invite you to check the Trends in Higher Education Student Access. This report from the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) is the first part of six reports, and this one focuses on enrollment trends in California in higher education. Take a minute to review this resource and email jsalcedo001@sdccd.edu if you have any questions.

President's Office Hours

President's Office Hours are back! Individual zoom meetings will be 20 minutes and are available on a first come first serve basis. If you would like to schedule a virtual appointment with me, please email sdccepresident@sdccd.edu for detailed information.

Best,