CHULA VISTA, CA. – Southwestern College’s new Superintendent/President, Dr. Kindred Murillo, officially kicked off the start of the new semester today at the college’s Opening Day session for faculty and staff.
Dr. Murillo, finishing up her first week on the job, took this chance to introduce herself to much of the college community and to share her vision and values for her presidency.
“Students are the reason we exist,” Murillo told faculty and staff. “We are here for students and closing the achievement gap is one of my passions. I believe that if we do not close the achievement gap, we are setting our community, our state and our nation up for failure.”
Murillo comes to Southwestern College with more than 20 years of educational and leadership experience in the California Community College system, including most recently serving as the superintendent/president of Lake Tahoe Community College. Before serving as superintendent/president of Lake Tahoe, she served as the vice chancellor of administrative services for the Contra Costa Community College District and as vice president of administrative services at Pasadena City College. For Dr. Murillo’s full bio, visit http://www.swccd.edu/president.
Come Monday, Jan. 30, Southwestern College will welcome more than 17,000 students who will be taking classes at the Chula Vista campus; the Higher Education Centers in National City, Otay Mesa and San Ysidro; online, plus the Crown Cove Aquatic Center.
Students can choose from more 320 associate degree and certificate options at Southwestern College, the only public institution of higher education in South San Diego County.
Students looking to enroll in classes still have time to register, with many general education course sections still open at the Higher Education Centers. Student Support Services staff at the Cesar Chavez Building in Chula Vista and the Higher Education Centers are ready to answer questions students may have about registering, financial aid, requirements and more. Learn more at www.swccd.edu/spring.
This may be the last semester for many students at Southwestern as they await their acceptance letters to four-year universities or wait to walk in May’s commencement ceremony with their Associate’s Degree. Many will be transferring to a California State University campus through the Associate Degree for Transfer program, which Southwestern College awards some of the largest number of degrees in the state.
Students who walk onto the Chula Vista and National City campuses will also see they are getting major upgrades through Proposition R, a $389 million general obligation bond approved by voters in 2008. In Chula Vista, two state-of-the-art buildings are taking shape. The new Wellness & Aquatic Complex towers over the once-empty corner lot, and community members can already see much of those facilities being installed, including new Olympic-sized pools next to DeVore Stadium. On the northwest section of campus, the walls of the technologically advanced Math, Science & Engineering building are coming up and the foundation for its future is being laid.
Where Proposition R ends, Proposition Z will begin. Prop. Z is a new $400 million general obligation bond passed in November with overwhelming support from the community. Prop. Z will help complete Southwestern College’s Facilities Master Plan. Among Prop. Z’s first projects are a new Performing Arts & Cultural Center, which will be a gateway between the community and the college, and a parking structure along Otay Lakes Road.
