At an award ceremony in Sacramento on July 16, Santa Barbara City College was recognized for the second year in a row for its outstanding efforts to improve student equity and diversity.

 The prestigious Dr. John W. Rice Diversity and Equity Award was presented by Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley to the SBCC Academic Senate committee, “Leaders for Equity, Antiracism and Reparations Now” (LEARN).

 LEARN organizes and offers rigorous, meaningful anti-racism training for cohorts of 40-45 people at a time, ultimately inviting cohort graduates to join the Santa Barbara City College Antiracism Community where they can immediately plug into a group of people committed to working for an equitable campus.

 What started as informal hallway discussions led to the creation of LEARN. It is through independently funded grants, not tied to existing allocation structures on campus, that LEARN offers the training to all members of the campus community. Such training serves as the beginning of a lifelong commitment to developing equity-based programs and pedagogy.

 The award is named after Dr. John W. Rice, one of the most influential Board of Governors members across the years who served on the Board of Governors from 1992 to 2000. He was strong advocate for all students and believed higher education was the greatest equalizer. The Dr. John W. Rice Awards were established in 2001, and annually recognize community college staff members, faculty, districts, colleges or programs leading the way in progressing student diversity and equity.