Mesa College announces the Dr. Constance M. Carroll Humanities Institute

San Diego Mesa College

San Diego Mesa College announced the renaming of their Humanities Institute to the Dr. Constance M. Carroll Humanities Institute. The institute, which was originally established in 1990, was generously supported by Dr. Carroll upon her appointment as president of Mesa College in 1993, as has continued to be in the forefront of work during her tenure with the San Diego Community College District. In the wake of the announcement, donations have been flooding in to support the institute.

Constance M. Carroll portrait photo
Dr. Constance M. Carroll, Chancellor of the San Diego Community College District

“We wanted to honor Dr. Carroll's vision and commitment to the Humanities, both as our past president and as our Chancellor, so it seemed most fitting to bestow her name permanently upon this program,” stated Dr. Pamela Luster, President of Mesa College. 

Since it began as a campuswide initiative in September of 1990, the Humanities Institute has supported the work of faculty and staff to bring diverse programming and events to Mesa College. The Institute serves as an internal vehicle for cultural, interdisciplinary, and Mesa College community priorities, and activities are intended to increase student engagement, recruitment, and retention. With a goal of enriching the student experience through the humanities, the Institute focuses on and funds activities that promote diverse cultures and perspectives such as a celebration of Black History Month, Cesar Chavez, Chinese Culture, Women's History Month, and Cultural Unity Week. Named in honor of Dr. Constance M. Carroll in 2020, the institute aims to honor her legacy as former President of Mesa College and Chancellor of the San Diego Community College District.

Dr. Constance M. Carroll has had a distinguished career in higher education. In 2004, she was appointed Chancellor of the San Diego Community College District, after 11 years of service as President of San Diego Mesa College. Constance Carroll holds a B.A. degree in Humanities from Duquesne University; an M.A. and Ph.D. in Classics (Ancient Greek and Latin) from the University of Pittsburgh; and a Certificate of Proficiency in Hellenic Studies from Knubly University in Athens, Greece. In 2011, Dr. Carroll was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate to serve a six-year term on the National Council on the Humanities. 

Humanities institute's new logoShe currently serves on the boards of the University of San Diego, the League for Innovation, the Community College Humanities Association, and the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation. In 2015, Dr. Carroll was honored with the prestigious “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Human Dignity Award” by the YMCA of San Diego County, and the Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary recognized her as one of the 2015 “Women of Dedication.” In 2016, she was given the “Moving San Diego Forward” award by the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce.  In 2017, she was recognized by the national Community College Baccalaureate Association with the “Pioneer Award” for her leadership and work in improving access to baccalaureate level education through community colleges. In 2019, the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) honored Dr. Carroll with a “Lifetime Achievement Award.”

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