The San Diego Business Journal has named Southwestern College Superintendent/President Dr. Mark Sanchez as among the top 500 most influential people in San Diego.
Sanchez, who has led the college since 2020, was included as among the most influential in higher education. Earlier this year, Sanchez was recognized as one of the Top 50 Latino Leaders of Influence by the San Diego Business Journal.
During his tenure at the college, Sanchez has created an academic partnership between Southwestern and the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC) to allow a cohort of UABC students to attend Southwestern College at the resident tuition rate.
Working with the Governing Board, Sanchez developed a policy that waives facility rental fees for members of the 13 federally recognized Kumeyaay tribes within San Diego County as a way to honor establishing college operations on Kumeyaay land.
Sanchez has also been instrumental in rebuilding enrollment since the COVID pandemic shut down many college operations in 2020. Enrollment is up more than 8.5 percent from fall last year, and the number of applications has increased nearly 4 percent this year.
“We continue to expand the number of opportunities for our Southwestern College community,” Sanchez said. “We’re building a new university center to help students earn a bachelor’s degree without leaving the Chula Vista campus. We’re developing new job readiness programs that get students high-wage jobs.
“Now is the time to be a Southwestern College student,” Sanchez said.
Enrollment for the spring semester is currently open. The spring semester begins Jan. 30. To apply and register for classes, head to www.swccd.edu/schedule.
