Campus News
Summer and Fall Continuing Ed Update
June 17, 2010
Each year over 45,000 residents take advantage of almost 2,000 state-funded non-credit course sections, which are tuition-free
to local residents. For the 2010-2011 academic year, we are continuing to offer about 2,000 state-funded non credit course
sections, tuition free to local residents. Everyone at SBCC is dedicated to maintain a robust program of lifelong learning
that is affordable and accessible to the community.
Summer Term starts June 21
This summer we are offering courses leading to diplomas and short-term vocational certificates, glass fusing, Spanish, computers,
literature, fitness, yoga, golf, and English as a Second Language. Registration is now open.
Fall Term starts September 13
Planning is currently underway, and we expect a full term (10 weeks) with over 600 course sections across all disciplines.
Printed schedules will be available August 10. Registration begins August 16.
Community Support for Continuing Education is now more important than ever.
Thanks to the generosity of donors from the community, for example, we will be able to offer in Fall 2010, free of charge, several Continuing Education Physical Education courses, which are no longer funded by the state. We are working to develop
new health education courses that will qualify for state funding and will be offered next year.
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SBCC Continuing Education: Condensed Summer 2010 Session and 10-Week Fall, Winter and Spring Terms
May 19, 2010
By: Dr. Joe Dobbs, President, SBCC Board of Trustees
Dr. Andreea Serban, SBCC Superintendent/President
Dr. Ofelia Arellano, Vice President, SBCC Continuing Education
Santa Barbara City College is committed to ensuring the long-term viability of our vibrant Continuing Education Division and maintaining as wide a breath of course offerings as possible. Lifelong learning is part of our college mission. Each year, over 45,000 local residents take advantage of almost 2,500 continuing education course sections in a variety of disciplines.
The majority of continuing education classes are eligible for state funding and students attend these courses free of charge, except for material fees as necessary. Courses which are not funded by the state are supported by student fees. Almost 90 percent of continuing education course sections will continue to be eligible for state funding and remain free to students, except for material fees as necessary.
The recent actions that the college has pursued have been intended to maintain as many free continuing education courses for the community as possible while dealing with over $9 million in state budget cuts over the last two years of which $2.6 million is a ongoing cut in our base funding for enrollments.
In 2010-2011, SBCC will cut over 300 course sections on the credit side and offer a condensed summer session on the Continuing Education side. By offering a condensed summer session, Continuing Education will be able to offer a robust schedule of classes during the fall, winter, and spring terms during which attendance is traditionally higher. And in order to meet the demand, Continuing Education will move back to traditional 10-week terms beginning this fall.
The Continuing Education courses offered in summer 2010 will be those leading to completion of a certificate or diploma including Adult High School, GED, English as a Second Language, and short-term vocational training. In addition, a number of community service fee-based courses will be also offered.
The condensed summer session was a recommendation coming to us from discussions with the community and Continuing Education faculty. The feedback we received from public forums, faculty and the SBCC Continuing Education Consultation Council was that students would prefer fewer course offerings during the summer and for shorter periods of time rather than having course sections reduced during the rest of the year. Out of a straw vote of 120 Continuing Education instructors, 116 agreed with this format.
During the 2010-2011 year, approximately 2,000 Continuing Education course sections in various disciplines will continue to be offered free of charge to students. Students who sign-up for classes that are not reimbursed by the state will pay tuition fees that cover only the direct cost of offering those classes. Working with Continuing Education instructors and advisory groups, the college is conducting fundraising events and has started a scholarship fund to assist students unable to pay tuition fees.
SBCC, along with all state-funded organizations, has been dealing with a budget crisis which is expected to continue for some years until the state economy improves. Through these challenging times, we remain committed to our mission of lifelong learning and the long-standing and rich tradition of Continuing Education in our community. We appreciate the community’s feedback and will continue to work with our Continuing Education instructors and students to offer as many courses as we can within our financial constraints.
The complete list of SBCC Continuing Education Summer Session offerings will be posted on June 1st at http://www.sbcc.edu/adulted/ .
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