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ALSO
IN THIS ISSUE Championship Turf Tender Sounds of Success New Home in Urban Village In the Spirit of the Season Pace Yourself Fill 'er Up With Fries Chancellor's Column Development News Factoids Newsmakers Accomplishments by faculty and staff… |
Chancellor's Column Community
colleges should take pride in being the most accessible higher education
institutions in America, yet access must mean more than affordability
and availability of outstanding programs if we are to achieve the level
of access our students deserve. Access must also include an awareness
of all the education and training options available to students and potential
students so they can make informed decisions about their education and
career directions. Based
upon a survey last fall, we need to do more to keep our students informed
about the options available to them, particularly university transfer.
Among the 3,634 current college students who responded to the survey,
fewer than half of the students at each of the colleges and the Educational
Cultural Complex were aware of the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG)
with the University of California, San Diego. Some
people may say it makes sense that not all students are aware of transfer
programs because many of them come to us for only one or two courses to
improve specific skills or to complete vocational training. However, we
know that students’ interests and goals can change when they are
exposed to new possibilities. A student may come to us apprehensive about
his or her abilities, yet early success in a course or two can result
in new-found confidence and a desire to set higher or different goals.
At the point where the student wants to do more, information about the
world of possibilities in our colleges should be readily available. While
information about the TAG with UCSD and transfer agreements with other
universities is available in the college catalogs and from counselors,
broader dissemination of information will help ensure greater access to
our programs. District
Student Services is making plans for an information campaign once the
Internet online student application is up and running. When students apply
online, their e-mail addresses will be stored to enable Student Services
to communicate with students by e-mail. Information
and events ranging from deadlines to apply for the TAG to new degree and
certificate programs are among the information items that can be sent. Miramar
College Vice President of Student Services Bob Garber suggests placing
bulletin boards in every classroom with information about transfer programs. Mesa
College counselor David Navarro has been using television to reach current
and prospective students. He recently appeared on a one-hour viewer call-in
program on ITV answering questions about community colleges and explaining
the many university transfer opportunities available to our students. Perhaps
the greatest untapped resource for disseminating information about university
transfer programs is the more than 5,000 of us who serve students through
the colleges and Continuing Education Centers. I
can’t tell you how many times I’ve told friends, neighbors and
acquaintances about some of our transfer programs—and how surprised
they were at the opportunities available for their sons and daughters,
nieces and nephews, and for themselves. While
we in community colleges may not be seen as the most impartial source
for information about our transfer programs, I encourage people to contact
the University of California campuses and ask how they view our transfer
programs. As
UCSD Revelle College Provost and chemistry professor Thomas Bond will
tell you, “One thing that always amazes me is that students—and
their parents—who don’t get into UCSD or other UC campuses rarely
realize what a good deal it is for them to go to a community college.” With the TAG programs, admission to UCSD is guaranteed for a student who does B- work or better. “In a few specialized areas,” Provost Bond adds, “some lower division courses may need to be taken after transfer, but the students earn the same degree and go on to the same types of advanced programs that our freshmen admits achieve. Transfer students enrich our campuses!” By Augustine P. Gallego, SDCCD Chancellor
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"We need to do more to keep our students informed about options open to them, especially university transfer." | |||
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