Perseverance. Resilience. These are just two of the qualities demonstrated by the Class of 2021 during a year of unprecedented challenges. Watch the video applauding their accomplishments.
Nearly 1600 students participated in the virtual commencement ceremony held on May 7. Over 4,300 degrees and certificates were awarded, 608 students graduated with honors and 20 graduates are veterans.
Click here to watch the recorded ceremony.
Now through May 31, the entire community is cordially invited to visit an online pop-up exhibition featuring the work of Santa Barbara City College students from the departments of American Ethnic Studies, Art, Film and Television Production, Graphic Design, Photography, Journalism, and Multimedia Arts and Technologies.
Students worked closely with faculty to create and articulate a body of thought-provoking work inspired by the theme of this year’s All-SBCC Student Conference hosted by the Honors Program, “Justice: Environmental, Economic, Racial.”
The Scheinfeld New Venture Challenge business plan and pitch competition returned for its 11th season on Friday, April 23, showcasing some of our region’s most exciting, innovative, and cutting-edge college and high school student entrepreneurs. The event was live streamed on YouTube and the video can be viewed on the Scheinfeld Center’s YouTube channel.
Students from Santa Barbara City College and University of California, Santa Barbara, kicked off the collegiate tier of the event, followed by the high school tier, which featured students from San Marcos High School. The aspiring entrepreneurs competed for over $15,000 in cash awards and startup support.
Santa Barbara City College is pleased to announce that registration for Summer 2021 is now open to everyone in the community. Whether you are looking to earn an associate degree or transfer to a four-year university via SBCC’s award-winning credit programs — or enroll in the School of Extended Learning for life enhancement classes, career skills training, a high school diploma or GED — SBCC is here to help you reach your goals.
For everyone’s health and safety, the majority of classes will be conducted online, though a select number of classes are scheduled to meet in person. Continue to check the class registration pages, via the links below, for the most current information on whether your selected course will be held online or in-person.
Santa Barbara City College is pleased to announce that Dr. Anselmo Villanueva has been selected to serve as the new Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Dr. Villanueva has enjoyed a long career in education at all levels, from preschool through graduate school. His career has been dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice, especially ensuring access to education by students who have been traditionally underrepresented, marginalized or otherwise disenfranchised from the system.
Best Value Schools has ranked Santa Barbara City College as the No. 2 Best Online College among community colleges in the nation for 2021. Their rankings explore multiple categories designed to help students looking for the best and most affordable schools including amenities and overall valuable college experiences that suit their needs. Read more…
There’s still time for college and high school students throughout Santa Barbara County to submit their entries to the virtual 11th annual Scheinfeld New Venture Challenge business plan and pitch competition hosted by the Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at SBCC. The call for entries opened on March 1 and the deadline for submission is midnight on Thursday, April 15.
“We’re excited to host the Scheinfeld New Venture Challenge for our 11th year, and we’ve made some exciting changes to this year’s event to adapt to the digital experience. We look forward to shining the spotlight on Santa Barbara student entrepreneurs as they showcase their best business ideas,” said Scheinfeld Center Director Julie Samson. Finalists will pitch to judges via Zoom and the event will be live streamed on the Scheinfeld Center’s YouTube channel for our entire community and the world to enjoy.
Santa Barbara City College student Ezekiel Contreras Forrest has been awarded one of three Board of Governors Student Leadership Awards, initiated for the first time in 2021. The awards were presented by Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley and two student members of the California Community College Board of Governors at the opening of the General Assembly for the Student Senate of the California Community Colleges on Friday March 26.
On Mar. 4, KCLU’s Caroline Feraday interviewed Luz Reyes-Martín, SBCC’s Executive Director of Public Affairs and Communications, about the back to work courses offered by the School of Extended Learning for those affected by coronavirus job cuts. Listen to the interview here…
Santa Barbara City College is pleased to announce that the Board of Trustees recently approved Christina Llerena, MSW, as the new EOPS/CARE and CalWORKs Director.
EOPS (Extended Opportunity Programs and Services) is a state-funded, educational support program for financially and academically disadvantaged students enrolled full-time at SBCC. The CARE program (Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education) provides additional services for low-income, single parent students.
At the Southern California International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) held online on Feb. 27 this year, Santa Barbara City College won the top honor for two-year colleges.
The ICPC is an extra-curricular, competitive programming competition which provides college and university students opportunities to interact, demonstrate and improve their teamwork, programming and problem-solving process. In addition to hosting regional contests, the ICPC is a global platform that allows academia and industry to shine the spotlight on — and raise the aspirations of — the next generation of computing professionals as they pursue excellence.
SBCC School of Extended Learning is proud to announce the free ‘Back-to-Work’ program. The program was created as a rapid solution to help unemployed Santa Barbara County community members secure employment. Back-to-Work participants will receive training, grant funding, job search support and more. The application deadline for the first three Back-to-Work career tracks is March 9.
“The pandemic’s toll on local service jobs is pushing already vulnerable families into crisis,” said Joyce Coleman, Vice President of SBCC School of Extended Learning. “Our Back-to-Work program focuses on local job markets that, in part due to the pandemic, have immediate high-demand for trained workers.”
Jim Clark, Santa Barbara City College’s Director of Information Technology Infrastructure and Security, was recently notified by the Chief Information Systems Officers Association of the California Community Colleges (CISOA) that he is the recipient of the CISOA Technology Planning Award for 2021. The award is bestowed upon someone who has played a prominent role in evaluating information technology variables and developing a strategic plan of action that advances the college mission.
After closely evaluating 423 Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) programs across the western United States, NursingProcess.org has ranked Santa Barbara City College’s Vocational Nursing program No. 10 for 2021. Programs were ranked based on four important factors: National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN) pass rates, academic quality, the nursing school’s reputation, and affordability.
SBCC’s three-semester Vocational Nursing program prepares students to practice as competent, compassionate and ethical Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVNs) in homes, clinics, extended care, sub-acute care units, surgery centers, and hospices. Classroom and laboratory courses include the foundation of nursing practice, nutrition and care for patients with gastrointestinal problems, administration of therapeutic agents, maternal and child nursing, pharmacology and medical-surgical nursing.
With its honored “Promise Program,” SBCC is ready to help First Lady Dr. Jill Biden in her efforts to offer free community college education nationwide. The SBCC Promise Program provides two years of free books and tuition to high school students who graduate in the Community College district stretching from Carpinteria to Gaviota.
Dr. Biden has been a strong supporter of the concept for years, dating back to the Obama administration. Earlier this week she made a speech to relaunch her commitment with the American Association of Community Colleges.
On Jan. 28, 2020, Optimal (formerly the SR Education Group) released “GradReports,” comparing the salaries of over 4.6 million college graduates to determine Salary Scores for more than 885 college degrees. Scores were then used to rank the best colleges in the U.S. for 2021 at the associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degree levels. Santa Barbara City College is pleased to announce that it ranked No. 11 in the category of “Best Associate Degrees.”
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Santa Barbara City College has been named among the top 10 best community colleges in the U.S. — in addition to receiving top rankings for its medical coding and photography programs — by Intelligent.com for 2021. Intelligent.com’s comprehensive research guide is based on an assessment of 2,277 accredited colleges and universities. Each program is evaluated based on curriculum quality, faculty, graduation rate, reputation and post-graduate employment.
The WELL, Santa Barbara City College’s Student Health and Wellness Services Center, was honored by the California Community Colleges Board of Governors with an Exemplary Program Award for 2020-21, presented via a virtual ceremony on Tuesday, Jan. 20. The WELL offers holistic health and wellness workshops, skills building, group counseling and related services, and has had an interactive virtual presence since January 2019. That experience proved critical during a time that required transitioning to remote learning entirely in order to ensure students had equitable access to health and wellness education.
SBCC was pleased to work with the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department in making the Wake Campus on Turnpike Road available for administering the first dose of the Moderna Coronavirus vaccine to county firefighters. See the KEYT-TV story…
For more information about the COVID-10 vaccine, visit the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department.
SBCC’s Atkinson Gallery, in conjunction with the SBCC Foundation, invites everyone interested in art and science — past and present — to a conversation with the creative team behind its upcoming project and exhibition, “Cosmovisión Indígena: The Intersection of Indigenous Knowledge and Contemporary Art.”
The group discussion, scheduled via Zoom on Feb. 24 at 4 p.m., will provide the regional community an opportunity to learn about and engage with the project as the research process begins. “Cosmovisión Indígena” will trace the history, science, and contemporary uses of Mesoamerican dyeing and weaving, while exploring the mythology, ritual, and storytelling used to preserve and pass on this traditional knowledge.
The Atkinson Gallery at Santa Barbara City College is pleased to present “Planet Earth,” a group exhibition by three artists — Sarah Rosalena Brady, Mark Churchill and Vanessa Wallace-Gonzales — who integrate different concepts of land in their work. The word “land” can have many implications. As a noun, it can refer to territory, soil, rural areas, real estate, as well as nations, provinces and kingdoms. As a verb, it can mean to alight, dock, moor or touch down as well as to bring on, settle, acquire or inflict. Of course, the antonym of land is sea, and the title of the show is inspired by our planet’s serendipitous combination of both these elements along with atmosphere, air and sky. As we desperately search and yearn for solutions to the ongoing climate crisis, the fear and uncertainty created leads us to look both inward and outward for answers. And as we look to other places within our current reach such as the moon or Mars for resolutions it is important to remember and embrace the absolute habitat we already have at hand as a lesson to our past and inevitable futures. All three artists in Planet Earth explore these themes in their work in unique and compelling ways.
At its regular monthly meeting on Dec. 17, 2020, the Santa Barbara City College District Board of Trustees elected Dr. Peter O. Haslund as president of the Board for the 2021 calendar year. Kate Parker was elected Board vice president.
President Haslund joined the Board in December 2010 and represents Area 1 (Carpinteria and Monecito). Vice PresidentParker joined the Board in December 2018 and representsArea 7 (Santa Barbara).
In addition to the election of new officers, the oath of office was administered remotely by Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido, Ed.D., to one new and two continuing trustees who were chosen by voters in the Nov. 3 election. The Board welcomed Dr. Anna Everett who was elected to the seat vacated by Craig Nielsen. Trustees Robert Miller and Veronica Gallardo were successful in their races to continue on the Board.
SBCC has never experienced a semester quite like Fall 2020, and yet students, faculty and staff faced the challenges with creativity and resilience. Read how together we found innovative ways to teach and learn, to provide vital student services, to perform theatrical drama and musical events (and more) below…
Santa Barbara City College is pleased to announce that registration for Spring 2021 is now open to everyone in the community. Whether you are looking to earn an associate degree, transfer to a four-year university, or enroll in the School of Extended Learning for life enrichment classes, career skills training, a high school diploma or GED — SBCC is here to help you reach your goals.
Based on recent guidelines provided by the state, county and Centers for Disease Control, the substantial majority of courses will be conducted online. A limited number of credit courses are scheduled to be offered in a face-to-face or hybrid format, maintaining appropriate health and safety protocols.
The Santa Barbara City College Theatre Arts Department is proud to announce the winners of the Sara Evelyn Smith Monologue Competition. These talented students competed with monologues over a Zoom format and were awarded $1,000 each for the 2020-21 school year. The Sara Evelyn Smith Scholarship competition is judged by faculty members of the Theatre Arts Department and Anne Smith Towbes, who was a past member of the SBCC Foundation Board and instrumental in establishing the scholarship in 2001.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, SBCC continues to provide students with instruction and virtual support services aimed at keeping them on track with their education, staying connected and healthy. We are also providing our entire community with history-making, innovative musical and dramatic entertainment that can be viewed online. The SBCC Foundation Campus Conversations series this month peeks behind the curtain to reveal how the Theatre Arts department is keeping theatre alive and thriving on the South Coast, and EOPS/CARE is providing a way for the community to see that our single-parent students give their families a Thanksgiving dinner. Read about all of this and more below.
At their Nov. 12 meeting, the Santa Barbara City College Board of Trustees approved Ms. Joyce Coleman as the new Vice President, School of Extended Learning. Coleman has over 28 years of experience as a community college educator and administrator —18 years in California and 10 years in Minnesota and Oregon. She describes herself as someone who has provided equity-minded leadership, vision and effective management in all of the positions she has held. Her prior experience includes Dean of Students at Bakersfield College, Dean of Community Learning Programs at Mt. Hood Community College, Vice President of Student Services at Umpqua Community College, and Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Century College.
On Oct. 23, 2020 at 7p.m. Pacific Time, the Santa Barbara City College Lunch Break Big Band became the first school band in the world to present a live concert of a large ensemble with each member participating synchronously – and safely – from their homes.
Since its earliest days in ancient Greece, live theatre has always been a communal event, where performers and audiences came together for shared experiences in drama, comedy and tragedy. So what happens when a pandemic strikes and people can no longer gather in groups? In the true spirit of the theatre, SBCC’s Garvin Theatre Technical Director Ben Crop says the answer lies in “Not giving up! Where there’s a will, there’s a way!”
Santa Barbara City College is pleased to present the 2019-2020 Report to the Community, an informative and beautifully illustrated account of the college’s events, activities and accomplishments during this past academic year.
Everyone in the community is invited to flip through the online version to learn more about student success, athletic highlights, artistic triumphs, outstanding faculty and staff, awards and accolades, community connections, and how the college adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic and conversion to delivering instruction and services remotely.
When the COVID pandemic prompted Santa Barbara City College to transition all classes to remote instruction last Spring, “Evening College” – part of the “Student-Ready: Degree Completion for the Flexible Learner” program – was no exception. In order to accommodate student learning in the online instructional environment, Evening College has been recently re-envisioned as the “College for Working Adults.” Designed for new-to-college working adults and part-time students with few credits, SBCC invites the public to learn more about the College for Working Adults by attending one of four informational sessions via Zoom: Oct. 23 (in English), Oct. 24 (in Spanish), Nov. 20 (in Spanish) and Nov. 21 (in English).
Santa Barbara City College is pleased to present the 2019-2020 Report to the Community, an informative and beautifully illustrated account of the college’s events, activities and accomplishments during this past academic year.
According to co-founder of Sun Microsystems Vinod Khosla, “In the next 10 years, data science and software will do more for medicine than all of the biological sciences together.” Whether that bold prediction will prove true is yet to be seen, however the there is no denying that in all fields there is a growing demand for people who can interpret and analyze the massive amount of data being collected every day. Santa Barbara City College stands ready to play its part in preparing students to meet that demand.
In the days running up to the first day of the Fall term, Noozhawk interviewed officials at SBCC about the innovative ways the college has prepared to support teaching and learning in an online environment. Acknowledging that the college provides vital services in addition to classes, Noozhawk noted that the college is working to address the technical needs of all learners while also taking time to ensure social and emotional needs are met.
On August 20, Excelencia in Education — an organization that works to accelerate Latino student success in higher education — announced that SBCC’s Math Tutorial Lab has been named a finalist for the 2020 Examples of Excelencia. Of this year’s 112 national submissions from 24 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., the SBCC program was one of six at the community college level recognized for its leadership in effectively serving Latino students.
Superintendent/President Dr. Utpal K. Goswami announced an update regarding plans for the Fall 2020 semester. Given current community conditions, classes will start fully online. Although the plan is for all courses to begin online, the College will be pursuing a very limited exemption for some classes that support essential and critical infrastructure. The Fall term starts Monday, Aug. 24.
From the moment last March when SBCC made the decision to move all instruction online for the remainder of the Spring semester, the Music Department knew it had better prepare for the situation to extend into the Summer and Fall terms as well.
As Santa Barbara City College prepares for the Fall 2020 semester, two well-respected employees will be assuming new roles as deans.
Paloma Arnold has been selected as the next Dean of Student Affairs. …
Elizabeth M. Imhof, Ph.D., has been chosen as the new Dean of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.
SBCC is bracing for a roughly 30 percent decline in non-California resident enrollment, especially students from outside the United States according to Superintendent/President Utpal Goswami. He offered his remarks during a virtual event titled “COVID Conversations” presented by the SBCC Foundation on July 16. In addition to enrollment trends, he discussed the college budget for the 2020-21 academic year. Read more…
Santa Barbara City College is pleased to announce that registration for Fall is now open to everyone in the community, whether to earn an associate degree, transfer to a four-year university or enjoy life enrichment classes through the School of Extended Learning.
Based on recent guidance provided by the state, county and Centers for Disease Control, a substantial majority of courses will be conducted online. A limited number of credit courses will be offered in a face-to-face or hybrid format, maintaining appropriate health and safety protocols. The list of face-to-face credit courses is available at www.sbcc.edu/classes.
When the Community College Public Relations Organization (CCPRO) held its annual awards ceremony on June 10 – a virtual watch party via Zoom this year – Santa Barbara City College walked away with three first place awards, two second place awards and one third place award.
Based on recent guidance provided by the state, county and Centers for Disease Control, SBCC will offer a substantial majority of credit courses online for the Fall 2020 semester.
As some courses are difficult to teach online, a limited number of courses will be offered in a face-to-face or hybrid format, maintaining appropriate health and safety protocols.
Read the press release for more details…
Art instructor Carissa Luminess and her students connecting via Zoom On March 14, just two weeks into the spring semester, Carissa Luminess was one of 90 SBCC School of Extended Learning instructors asked to make a groundbreaking change. Determined to…
Santa Barbara City College has been selected to participate in a pilot project through a partnership with the California Department of Social Services, the Foundation for California Community Colleges and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to provide free immigration legal services. Through this partnership, The United Farm Workers (UFW) Foundation was selected to provide immigration legal services at SBCC starting May 2020. Over the course of the next year and a half the Community College Immigration Legal Services Project will provide free immigration legal services, including education and outreach services, to students, staff and faculty on California community college campuses statewide.
Congratulations to the class of 2020!
Although all in-person campus operations have been suspended until further notice, that didn’t stop SBCC from holding a commencement ceremony to honor the graduating class of 2020. On Friday, May 8, at 5 p.m., the college held a “virtual” commencement online.
View the video here…
Although all in-person campus operations have been suspended until further notice, that won’t stop Santa Barbara City College from holding a commencement ceremony to honor the graduating class of 2020. On May 8 at 5 p.m., the college will hold a “virtual” commencement online, to which all students, faculty, staff and the community at large are invited.
Kaitlin Shipley always knew she wanted to work in the healthcare field. After working as a medical assistant for several years after high school, she enrolled in the nursing program at Santa Barbara City College, graduating in 2019 with an associate degree in nursing. Fast forward less than one year, Kaitlin finds herself donning protective gear to enter the isolation room at Lompoc Valley Medical Center as one of the local heroes in the battle against COVID-19.
Santa Barbara City College’s Community Newsletter APRIL 2020 SBCC Response to COVID-19 For the latest updates on SBCC’s response to the COVID-19 health emergency, please visit our information page. All credit and noncredit instruction has been moved online for the…
