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ALSO
IN THIS ISSUE Base Security US Navy Needs Civilian Aircraft Mechanics Getting High Patriotic Images Salute To Veterans An Ear to the Past Chancellor's Column Development News Factoids Newsmakers Accomplishments by faculty and staff… |
Chancellor's Column The San Diego Community College District is the largest provider of workforce training and the gateway to higher education and university transfer for the vast majority of people who go to college in San Diego. Our Centers for Education and Technology serve some of the neediest San Diegans in short-term occupational programs that lead directly to jobs, English as a second language, high school completion and many more essential programs. Our colleges and centers are critically important to the local economy and communities, yet we are now faced with a facilities crisis that threatens our ability to continue to meet the needs of San Diego. While we are proud of the high quality education we provide for 100,000 students every semester, the facilities crisis jeopardizes our ability to fulfill our mission. As the faculty, staff and students know, there are overcrowded classrooms and laboratories, leaking roofs, crumbling foundations and plumbing problems at many of the sites. There are 40- and 50-year-old classrooms, and in some cases students and faculty meet in World War II-era bungalows that lack the infrastructure to teach students the job skills of the 21st century. The deteriorating facilities also present both safety and access concerns. Given the increasing need for renovations and repairs to district facilities, and the district’s vital role in local education, the district’s Board of Trustees will be considering a capital improvement bond measure for the November 2002 ballot. The bond, if placed on the ballot by the board and approved by voters, would help the district to address a pressing facilities crisis caused by a combination of aging classrooms, aging infrastructure, and the growing student and employer demands for up-to-date science and technology classrooms and laboratories. The
district has exhausted all other options to identify and acquire the funding
resources critically needed to meet our facilities needs, and now we must
give serious consideration to a capital improvement bond proposal. The projects under consideration for City College include renovation of the “T” building to replace the outdated, deteriorating classrooms and labs. New engineering technology and business technology buildings are under consideration, along with many other renovation and replacement projects. Mesa College’s proposal includes a desperately needed 500-space parking structure, replacement or renovation of several outdated buildings and replacement of existing bungalows with a new instructional technology building. Proposals for Miramar College include a new science and technology building, additional classrooms to meet the growing demand for more university transfer general education courses and a new library/learning resource center. The Centers for Education and Technology proposals include expansion, replacement and/or renovation of North City, West City, Cesar Chavez and Centre City centers and replacement of bungalows at ECC with a new wing to complete the main building on campus. In the coming weeks and months, I will be talking with faculty, staff and students throughout the district about these and other proposals to improve our colleges and centers. I will also seek your comments and suggestions as we try to solve this very serious problem.
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Aging
buildings, advancing technology and growing enrollment create a facilities
crisis for region’s largest college district. |