Including a cohort of freshmen for new 4-year degree programs
San Diego Mesa College welcomes 14 new faculty members and more than 23,000 students – including a cohort of freshmen students who may go on to earn a four-year degree from Mesa College– on the first day of fall semester, Monday, August 24. Students also have more class sections to choose from, as well as increased parking spaces and a free shuttle.
Mesa College this fall launches its new baccalaureate program in the rapidly growing field of Health Information Management (HIM). The college is one of the first community colleges in the state to move forward in offering a bachelor’s degree under the state’s Baccalaureate Pilot Program. Students entering into the current Health Information Technology two-year degree program will have the opportunity during their first year of classes to apply for continuation on to the baccalaureate program and complete their bachelor’s degree in spring 2019.
Students will have 70 more course sections to choose from this fall, with many new online classes. To accommodate new student demand, Mesa has hired 14 new faculty members, with plans to hire an additional 24 full-time faculty members this fall. Mesa, the largest college in the San Diego Community College District, was able to expand its offerings thanks to a 2015-16 SDCCD spending plan that includes a record revenue increase of at least $79 million compared to last year.
Welcome week booths will be set up throughout campus the entire week. Fun activities and refreshments and lots of information will ease the stress of the first week of classes.
“Staffing a welcome week booth is one of the best things about my job,” says Dr. Pamela T. Luster, president of the college. “It’s like a one-on-one focus group where I get to personally meet students and also learn how we as a college can serve them better.”
Among the largest community colleges in California and the nation, San Diego Mesa College is a fully accredited, comprehensive two-year college annually serving 25,000 students and offering more than 195 associate degree and certificate programs.
