Dr. Constance Carroll describes the symbiotic relationship between this educational district and the community that surrounds it.

When asked to name the most important aspects of economic growth and development to a region, most community leaders would list a high quality of life, pro-business environment, and outstanding education.

With its year-round, postcard-perfect weather and almost unlimited recreational activities, San Diego is well known for having a great quality of life, and the region’s high-tech and business-services industries have blossomed in recent years. Less well known is the quality of the region’s education, particularly the three colleges and six continuing education centers that comprise the San Diego Community College District (SDCCD).

A worldwide leader in post-secondary education, SDCCD is the sixth largest community college district in the nation. One hundred thousand students attend City College, Mesa College, Miramar College, and the six continuing education centers, with another 40,000 participants in the district’s on-base military training programs. SDCCD is the 11th largest employer in San Diego county with about 5,800 employees.

Dr. Constance Carroll

“We’re in the business of education,” said Dr. Constance Carroll, chancellor. “SDCCD is the single largest workforce trainer and producer of transfer students in San Diego county, with 35% of students each year transferring from one of the community colleges to a four-year university. Most people who leave one of our colleges with an associate degree or certificate go straight into the San Diego county workforce.”

Of course, students who attend these colleges and centers improve their career and economic prospects substantially—studies show that graduates with an AA degree earn $10,000 more per year than high school graduates. They also have an enormous impact on the regional economy, said Carroll.

“The financial and educational activities of SDCCD benefit local businesses directly by raising the skill level of the work force and providing opportunities for direct contract employee training,” she said. “Local businesses also benefit because the presence of a trained labor force works to attract new industry and increase the efficiency, competitiveness, and output of existing industry. That results in a more robust local economy.”

There are more than 1,200 community colleges in the country, Carroll noted, and they play a huge role in higher education for millions of Americans, including California’s famous governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger. “Governor Schwarzenegger is the first California governor who is a community college graduate, and he has gone out of his way to provide additional funding to community colleges across the state,” said Carroll.

Perhaps the most famous graduate of SDCCD is Jim Sinegal, president and CEO of Costco, who got his associate degree from City College. “San Diego City College was a wonderful entry into higher education,” said Sinegal. In addition, San Diego’s mayor, Jerry Sanders, and fire chief, Tracy Jarman, were graduates of SDCCD’s police and fire academies.

“We offer training and degrees in just about any field you can name, from accounting to nursing to radiology,” said Carroll. “The nursing and teacher shortages are especially challenging right now, and they are projected to grow worse, so we’re expanding these programs at our campuses. We’re also the regional coordinator for biotech undergrad education in Southern California, working directly with companies in the burgeoning regional biotech industry to help meet their employee training needs.”

SDCCD is in the midst of what Carroll says is one of the largest construction programs in the country, building new instructional facilities across the district. The projects are being funded by two bond measures that were passed by San Diego voters, a $685 million bond in 2002, followed by a $870 million bond last November, for a total of more than $1.5 billion in bond construction projects.

“The most recent bond measure was passed overwhelmingly, by 63% of the voters,” noted Carroll. “One reason voters are so supportive of these projects is because they are all instructional in nature—the money isn’t going to build administrative buildings or sports complexes. Citizens can see that we’re serious about education.”

Carroll also noted the impact of immigrants on SDCCD and San Diego county in general. “Immigrants from all over the world are attending our colleges and adult education centers,” she said. “Many immigrants start out in an English-as-a-second-language course or working to pass the high school equivalency exam. We make a strong effort to help immigrants acquire these basic skills so they move on to professional job or a bachelor’s or post-graduate degree.”

While you might think most immigrants in San Diego come from Mexico, that’s not necessarily the case. “There are immigrants here from practically anywhere in the world where there is political unrest or war.

“San Diego is our mirror,” she continued. “We look at the needs of businesses in our region and then create education and training programs to help meet those needs.”

Don Sadler is a writer and editor specializing in issues of interest and relevance to businesses and executives. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .