ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Real Appeal of Virtual Classrooms
SDCCD Online off to a roaring start…

A Body of Knowledge
Nursing grad returns to run program…

Investing in the Future
Business teacher shares Wall Street strategy…

Math, Science Students Find Special Help
Disadvantaged math, science, engineering students nurtured…

Law & Order
Manager on police review board…

Toward Gainful Employment
I CAN project links resources for unemployed…

Chancellor's Column
For more than 20 years we’ve been partner with U.S. Navy…

Development News
Fund-raising activities…

Factoids
Miscellaneous tidbits of news…

Newsmakers Accomplishments by faculty and staff…

Chancellor's Column

It is heartening to see Americans united in support of our military troops and public safety professionals, and I am proud of the supporting roles our colleges and Centers for Education and Technology play in the defense and safety of our local communities and the nation. Our role becomes even more important in the wake of the terrorist attacks on America.

One of the strengths of community colleges is our ability to change rapidly to meet changing needs and, in collaboration with the Navy, we have added anti terrorist training to the hundreds of courses in the armed forces curriculum. We also expect that anti-terrorist training will be added to police training.

The San Diego Community College District began providing technical training for the Navy in San Diego, and expanded to bases throughout the country, including Connecticut, Rhode Island, Virginia, Florida, Mississippi, Illinois, Kansas, Texas and Hawaii.

We serve some 33,000 sailors in technical training each year. In addition, all new recruits — about 56,000 a year — receive two days of training in personal financial management.

Among the technical training programs in San Diego are electrical, air conditioning and refrigeration, food service and anti-terrorism. In Pensacola, Florida, the programs include aviation electronics, parachute riggers, advanced avionics weapons, and advanced radar air traffic control.

Serving Navy and Marine Corps personnel and their families in San Diego is a particularly important part of our mission. With classes on local bases and in the communities of San Diego, we provide opportunities for military family members to earn associate degrees and transfer to four-year universities and to learn new skills or upgrade occupational skills.

Public safety training is also a critically important part of our mission. Through the Regional Public Safety Institute, we serve about 8,000 people a year in law enforcement, firefighting, lifeguard and emergency medical technician training.

The police academy training operated by Miramar College serves law enforcement agencies in the City of San Diego and throughout the county. The programs include basic academy training for new police recruits, in service training in more than 80 subject areas for city and county law enforcement agencies and specialized training for all Sheriff’s Department correctional deputies.
Firefighter programs include the basic fire academy, swift-water rescue to save people caught in floodwaters and emergency medical technician training. In addition, the California Department of Forestry sends about 200 people a year to fire fighting classes. We also provide courses in rescue systems that train firefighters in search and rescue and rescue and recovery operations.

In the 1960s, I was a firefighter for six years for the City of Tucson. That background and experience has given me a tremendous respect and appreciation for the highly skilled and dedicated firefighters, police and other public safety professionals and the members of the armed forces who risk their lives to keep our communities safe. It is a great honor and responsibility for me to be a part of an organization that supports these heroes of public safety and defense.

The outstanding military education and public safety instructors and all 6,000 faculty and staff in the district provide an essential service to our military and public safety agencies, both locally and nationally.

By Augustine P. Gallego, Chancellor

For more than 20 years we have been a partner with the U.S. Navy to provide training for military personnel. Our partnerships to train public safety professionals in the San Diego region have been ongoing for more than 30 years.