Santa Barbara City College update for Aug. 15

by Community Contributor • August 15, 2017 • Comments Off

Message from the President – August 2017

We have many events and gatherings at the college that typically focus on ourselves and our work. On Monday, July 31 we had a seminal college event that focused externally on our community. In partnership with the Music Academy of the West, the City of Santa Barbara, and the SBCC Foundation, the College hosted a concert for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra!

Founded in 1842, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra is the oldest of the U.S. orchestras. It is considered one of the “Big Five” orchestras in America and has won a dozen Grammy awards and other recognitions from around the globe. The orchestra is led by Conductor Alan Gilbert, who assumed his role 2009. If it wasn’t special enough to have the New York Philharmonic at La Playa Stadium playing to a sold-out crowd of 8,000 community members, including 800 children, last night was particularly special as it was the final farewell of Conductor Gilbert. He played all his favorites, with a spectacular finale, Ode to Joy, punctuated with a beautiful fireworks show off the Santa Barbara shore!

Dr. Anthony E. Beebe, Superintendent/President

Proud to Bring Back Adult Education by Dr. Anthony Beebe (Noozhawk)

Dr. Anthony Beebe discusses the history of adult education in Santa Barbara and the NEW School of Extended Learning! Read More…

CSU Eliminates Placement Exams and Remedial Classes

In an unprecedented move, Chancellor Timothy White directed the 23-campus California State University system to do away with remedial education. It may seem counter intuitive, but his goal is to increase student success.

In the California State University (CSU) system, 25,000 freshman students (39%) must take remedial classes before taking general education classes. These classes cost students considerable time, money, energy, and motivation, but do not count towards graduation requirements.

One study found that roughly one in four math placements and one in three English placements were severely misplaced too low. The CSU system plan is to do away with math and English placement texts.

The Chancellor’s logic is that remediation has become a major roadblock to college success. Getting students straight into college-level work on day one, having them learn math and English as they as they need it and using it in college or contextually (e.g., I-BEST), will save students time and money, increasing completion success.

Time will tell whether the elimination of remedial courses was a good move. It will be interesting to see if the UC’s will follow suit. I know the state’s community colleges, including us here at SBCC, are all watching this very closely.

Dr. Anthony E. Beebe, Superintendent/President

Robert Casier

The Santa Barbara City College community is sad to report on the passing of longtime Professor Robert Casier. Professor Casier was featured in the SBCC Legacy Project. Click below to hear his thoughts about the College.

President Beebe issues Statement on Charlottesville

At Santa Barbara City College, we stand for equity and access to opportunity. Our goal relates to the ability of people to realize their full potential and ties to individuals being happy, healthy, independent, respected, and liberated. To read the full statement, click here.

SBCC Board of Trustees Meetings – August 10 and 24

The SBCC Board of Trustees meets at 4:00 p.m. in A-211 at SBCC on August 10 and August 24. The Agenda for the meeting can be found at least 72 hours prior to the meeting on the Board webpage. All of the SBCC Board meetings are live streamed and archived for public viewing. C lick here to watch previous or live Board meetings.

Sign up for SBCC Press Releases

Now you can sign up to receive breaking news and press releases from SBCC. To receive press releases, please click here and sign up today!

Preparing to Welcome Students on August 21

The Fall semester kicks off on Monday, August 21. We expect the Caltrans Castillo underpass project to cotinue through the end of the month. Students, Faculty and Staff are encouraged to consider many available alternative transportation options.