MOUNTAIN VIEW – Associate of Arts degrees are being offered at the Educational Cultural Complex of the San Diego Community College District – a Mountain View site previously limited to mostly noncredit vocational courses.
The degrees are in child development, child development site supervisor, real estate and liberal arts with an emphasis on social behavior, officials said last week.
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Overview
Background: The Educational Cultural Complex on Ocean View Boulevard near Marketplace Avenue was opened in southeastern San Diego more than 30 years ago. It became known for its welding, English as a second language and GED programs.
What's changing: The San Diego Community College District site is offering four Associate of Arts degrees.
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For a community known to stick close to home, having a school where associate degrees are offered is an important step, Chancellor Constance Carroll said.
“Over 90 percent of new jobs require more than a high school diploma,” Carroll said. “It's very, very important that our students and members of the community have something to lead them in that direction.”
More than 30 years ago, the district opened the Educational Cultural Complex on Ocean View Boulevard near Marketplace Avenue in southeastern San Diego.
It became known for its welding, English as a second language and GED programs. Among the first credit courses offered is child development, which Anthony Beebe, president of continuing education, said was a community demand.
According to census data, less than half of residents 25 and older in the school's ZIP code have a high school diploma, and about 30 percent of families live in poverty.
Carolyn Smith, president of the Southeastern Economic Development Corp., said the degree programs will benefit the area.
“It is important that we have vibrant communities,” Smith said. “We want to make sure that employers don't say they can't find workers.”
Even though the community college district is cutting 350 classes from the fall schedule, Carroll said the new degree programs at the Mountain View complex are a result of moving courses from one campus to another.
“We're repackaging some of the programs,” Carroll said. “This is budget-neutral. We're not increasing classes; we're shifting them to ECC.”
The four degree programs will begin this fall.
Tanya Sierra: (619) 498-6631; tanya.sierra@uniontrib.com
