On Jan. 22 at the meeting of the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, the San Diego Mesa College Ethnic Studies Faculty Council was awarded the prestigious Exemplary Program Award.
The Exemplary Program Award was created in 1991 the California Community Colleges Board of Governors created the Exemplary Program Award to recognize outstanding community college programs.
The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges sets a theme for each year and selects the winners. For 2023-2024, the theme was “Excellence in Promotion and Advancement of Ethnic Studies.”
Out of the California Community College system’s vast 116 campuses and more than 1.8 million students, the San Diego Mesa College Ethnic Studies Faculty Council (MC-ESFC) was one of four honorees this year.
“San Diego Mesa College’s commitment to Ethnic Studies was codified in the 1970s with the establishment of our Chicano and Black Studies programs,” said President Dr. Ashanti Hands. “Our Ethnic Studies Faculty Council has taken courageous and necessary strides to strengthen, deepen, and expand our offerings in ways that allow marginalized students to see and be seen through programs and curriculum. Our college takes great pride in receiving this well-deserved distinction that honors the accomplishments and contributions of our dedicated faculty.”
MC-ESFC began as a task force in fall of 2020, charged with protecting and planning for the future of Ethnic Studies. It now continues as a permanent body and “serves as a representative voice and resource for the establishment and evolution of Ethnic Studies departments and programs at Mesa College and the San Diego Community College District .”
In recognizing the MC-ESFC, the Board of Governors stated, “[The MC-ESFC] is a model for how institutional stakeholders can collaborate to advance Ethnic Studies.” The program was also recognized for its work beyond the immediate realm of Mesa and San Diego Community College District. MC-ESFC collaborated with local and statewide curriculum committees to advance Ethnic Studies and support programs. “The faculty and ethnic studies programs being honored have worked as trailblazers and advocates, extending the impact beyond their classroom to enrich and empower communities across California,” said Cheryl Aschenbach, president of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges.
To learn more about Mesa’s incredible Ethnic Studies programs, you can visit the Chicana/o Studies Program webpage and the Black Studies Program webpage.
