Santiago Canyon College has a lot to celebrate as it celebrates its 25th anniversary of official accreditation: Enrollment continues to grow, and this year the college was ranked 8th among 116 community colleges in California by independent college ranking research organization EDsmart.org, based on factors including academic quality, tuition and student retention.
The school offers associate degrees, certificates, and transfer programs in fields such as business, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), health sciences, and humanities. Over the past 25 years, the campus has expanded, most recently with the addition of a new Health Sciences Building and the Johnson Student Center.
SCC has been kept secret for too long, President Jenny G. Kim said, and her goal when she takes over in January 2023 is to change that.
“My first priority was to let people know what kind of college SCC is — our outstanding professors, the top-notch, award-winning education we provide, the incredible success of our students who have successfully transferred to universities like UCLA, Stanford and the Ivy League, as well as local universities like Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine. It was really important for people to know that we've been here and have been doing great work for many years.”
The efforts have paid off: “Enrollment in our credit programs has increased by 12.2 percent compared to last year,” Kim said, highlighting the college’s accomplishments at its Aug. 15 annual meeting.
Enrollment in SCC's non-credit programs is up 21.2% this year, she said. The program is “for any California resident who wants to go into the workforce development field or improve their skill set,” she said. “It's 100% free to California residents.”
Additionally, SCC is known as a military-friendly school. “We are proud to be a school that people who have left the military go to,” Kim said.
As the university's profile grows, students are coming from outside Orange County, the state and even the country. “We're a destination for any student who wants to get a good education, whether that's through a general credit program leading to transfer or an associate degree, or even just students who want to improve their skills in terms of workforce development,” Kim said.
While marketing may have contributed to SCC's enrollment growth, Kim points to another important factor.
“We already had a really good product,” she said. “We already had great academic programs. We have the second-largest apprenticeship program in the state, with over 5,700 apprentices and 55 degree programs and certificates. We have the only code enforcement program in California, water apprenticeships, child development apprenticeships. We're training and developing the workforce that's actually building the infrastructure for California and beyond. Those jobs are so important to our communities right now.”
Another point of success is the students themselves, who continue their journey after graduating from SCC. “Our students do really well,” Kim says. “We have so many students who transfer to UCLA, USC, Stanford and Harvard.”
The support that SCC provides to students is important and is evident in their unique transfer program called Reverse Transfer from California State University, Fullerton.
“We have a close partnership with Cal State Fullerton, and we are able to send students from Cal State Fullerton to SCC who don't do well there or who are academically ineligible after their first year there,” Kim said. “They are sent to our university to experience success and spend their first year with a higher GPA, regardless of their original major. They are then guaranteed immediate re-transfer to Cal State Fullerton. We ensure that no one is left behind in their academic progress.”
For these students and many others, SCC's small class sizes are a big advantage. “We definitely give you that small private college feel,” Kim says. “It's a very quiet, relaxed environment, so it really does feel like a private college.”
The future is bright for SCC. A new partnership with the city of Orange and Orange Unified School District will build Middle College High School. The goal is to prepare high school students for medical careers in the many hospitals across Southern California. A bond measure passed on the November ballot will fund the project as well as a Veterans and Student Life Center on campus.
Official celebrations of SCC’s 25th anniversary will begin this fall and continue through 2025 with galas, concerts and other events for the college and surrounding community.