Dear SDCCE Community,

Enrollment for the 2025 spring semester opens Monday, December 2nd. Classes will begin Wednesday, January 29th. Reminder emails will go out to current and prospective students as we prepare for enrollment going live. Constitutes will be informed about SDCCE's tuition-free certificate programs and classes, resources, theatre construction, virtual and in person student services, affinity programs, basic needs supports and more. All are welcome download and share our spring assets in promotion of the semester. Thank you for all you do to make SDCCE a safe place to study, work, and dream! I look forward to yet another fantastic semester together.

Enrollment Updates

SDCCE’s overall enrollment for fall stands at 29,315 (2% less than this time last year, and a 0.5% increase from last week), with a fill rate of 74%, which is greater than last fall (73%). SDCCE’s overall headcount is currently 15,635, a decrease of 1% compared to this time last fall (15,807) and a 1% increase from last week (15,548). FTEF scheduled for the fall semester is 2% less than last fall (188.91 to 185.11) View the enrollment report.

San Diego College of Continuing Education, California’s largest tuition-free workforce college, proudly recognizes the 10th anniversary of National Apprenticeship Week from November 17-23, 2024! SDCCE's Apprenticeship Readiness students share a special message:

Last Thursday, we opened our doors to HUNDREDS of future #SDCCEGrads including high schoolers, as well as educators and community members for the annual 2024 Apprenticeship & Vocational Training Expo! Participants rotated between three different activities. The first activity was a tour of our Educational Cultural Complex which included stops in the automotive, plumbing, HVAC and welding classrooms. Next stop was a panel led by industry professionals and finally a resource fair with both internal and external apprenticeship and vocational training partners. Thank you to all who joined and huge thank you to the San Diego County Office of Education for the collaboration! View the 2024 Apprenticeship & Vocational Training Expo photos .

I am pleased to announce SDCCE has been invited to join the USC Race & Equity Center's California Community Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance (CCCRELA). Membership in CCCRELA offers every SDCCE employee the opportunity to access monthly professional learning modules through the Equity Connect Learning platform.

All SDCCE employees have institutional access to Equity Connect. To learn more and to gain access to the Equity Connect platform, visit https://equityconnect.usc.edu/login

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Franklin Garrett on being selected as the Dean of Student Support Services. In this role, Dr. Garrett will oversee CalWORKS, all student Affinity Programs, and other student support programs such as the Pathways program, Veteran Support Services, Gateway to College (Foundation) and the CE Child Watch Program. For the past few years, Dr. Garrett has been serving as the Associate Dean of Student Support Services, where he has been instrumental in advancing programs and services to meet the diverse needs of students. In his new role, he is looking forward to continuing to support students, staff, and faculty while expanding program offerings to further enhance student success and engagement. Dr. Garrett is excited to bring his passion for equity and student success to this new role, where he aims to strengthen partnerships, develop innovative programs, and ensure all students have access to the resources they need to thrive. Congratulations Dr. Garrett!

SDCCE and the Planning, Research, & Institutional Effectiveness team were well-represented at the recent California Association of Institutional Research (CAIR) conference. The Associate Dean of Research, Planning, and Innovation served on the CAIR Board of Directors. Michael Gracia, PRIE’s Research Expert, led an SPSS workshop. Additionally, PRIE’s Administrative Technician, Debi King, and Jesus Rivas hosted a session on multicultural team management. Jesus also co-led a session on relationship management with Jaime Sykes, CAIR’s incoming Vice President and SDCCD Research and Planning Analyst.

Ahead of the holiday season, SDCCE is proud to participate in the California Coast Credit Union and the San Diego Food Bank Pack the Pantry Food Drive. With your generous support, Pack the Pantry will help stock food pantries on San Diego and Imperial County college campuses .

Please share with your students, the San Diego Community College District is now accepting applications for the free-tuition program, The San Diego Promise, for Spring 2025. Applications are due by Feb. 2. Learn more about the Promise at bit.ly/PromiseApply.

Our bi-monthly, rotating LGBTQ+ Student Success Resource Tabling events continue this month with Dr. Lisa Carulli. These events are aimed at providing essential support and resources to our LGBTQ+ students! Sessions will offer an open, welcoming space for students to connect with resources, learn about community programs, and find support networks to help them thrive in their academic journey and beyond. By participating, students can gain access to LGBTQ+ affirming organizations, mental health resources, academic support, and peer networks, designed specifically to foster a sense of belonging and empower their success. Please spread the word and encourage students to stop by! We will be tabling in the student services lobby at the following campuses:

11/20 North City (11:00-12:30)

12/4 CE Mesa ( 11:00-12:30)

SDCCE cheerfully welcomed the San Diego Pride Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) to ECC. Chancellor Greg Smith and I provided welcome remarks to the community. The annual YLA was created to bring LGBTQ+ youth together from across the region to engage, educate, and inspire our next generation of leaders. Youth who attend YLA come away with the practical skill and committed passion to become agents of change within their own schools and communities.

Reminder, the last safety training session will take place on November 22nd at the Educational Cultural Complex. This is a great opportunity to boost our preparedness and strengthen campus safety. Visit the Safety Resources page to register

If you have not done so already, please save the date for our annual SDCCE Holiday Celebration. The RSVP deadline is Monday, November 25, 2024. Register here for the holiday party.

Please join me! Common Ground Theatre has generously donated 20 tickets to SDCCE employees to enjoy the Black Nativity: A Gospel Musical by Langston Hughes at the Educational Cultural Complex taking place December 6th through 15th. This year’s production, directed by Artistic Director Yolanda Marie Franklin, showcases some of San Diego’s finest talent. Contact SDCCE's Administrative Services to obtain a ticket while supplies last. Tickets are also available for purchase through Common Ground Theatre .

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. 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.

For SDCCE professional development opportunities, visit the professional development web page for upcoming workshops.

President's Updates

SDCCE's executive leadership team and I welcomed the San Bernardino Community College District's Department of Economic Development and Corporate Training. We are honored our colleagues across the state look to our college as a leading model for adult education and workforce development. San Bernardino Community College were in awe of the transformational educational opportunities provided across our campuses as well as with our programming and facilities.

It was a joy to celebrate our Academic Senate Executive Leadership Team with a special lunch. Our Academic Senate provides unwavering commitment to our students’ success. Thank you to all of our Academic Senate professionals for always going above and beyond to make a difference.

I am very pleased to announce SDCCE has been named a 2024 Davey Award Winner in the category of general education for our Forward Together campaign and rebrand led by GradComm. The Davey Awards is of the largest and most prestigious awards competition exclusively for the “Davids” of creativity.

I enjoyed connecting with Anagit Traganza, Faculty Instructional Designer, of SDCCE’s new Instructional Learning Technology (ILT) department. Our college is excited to offer the ILT, which is designed to provide resources, tools, and training to help instructional faculty and staff design, implement, and evaluate academic courses and programs that engage adult learners and deliver effective learning experiences. Stay tuned for more details!

Additionally, I am excited to also share Newsweek and Statista recognized San Diego College of Continuing Education as one of America’s Top Online Learning Providers 2025 ! America’s Top Online Learning Providers 2025 ranking highlights institutions other than a university or college and platforms, which provide access to their own or third-party online courses. The America’s Top Online Learning Providers 2025 title serves to reinforce our standing as an online learning provider that provides great value to students on a national level.

The Research Corner

This week, we invite you to check out the Navigating the Value Landscape for Accreditation whitepaper from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) . This whitepaper explores measures that aim to identify the student's economic outcomes post graduation. The aim of this research is to evaluate these current metrics and see opportunities to improve these metrics for members of the ACCJC. 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,