Last month I announced that I would be retiring in 2021. As I reflect on my four years at Southwestern College, and the last 24 years in the community college system, I continue to see the resiliency of students seeking to make a better life for themselves and their families.
Community colleges are often an entry point to higher education for students who are raising families of their own, or who didn’t have the confidence to earn a degree. Southwestern provides the support and resources where English learners, immigrants, foster youth and economically insecure individuals transform their lives. We value the investment these students are making in themselves and we want to be there for them. We meet students where they are and give them all the tools to reach their full potential.
That has been especially true here at Southwestern College. What attracted me here nearly four years ago was the passion of this college—both internally and externally. Our dedicated faculty and our small class sizes build meaningful relationships with students. Our faculty, classified professionals and administrators have created support systems—such as SWC Cares—that provide a range of resources that tear down educational barriers.
This passion has united us in our belief that every group of students who come to Southwestern College should succeed. For the last four years we have been intentional in looking at achievement data for all our students to see how we can strengthen the educational structures that build success for all students. That has meant shifting college culture and transforming our delivery methods to establish true equity.
We began our Jaguar Pathways to help students identify their educational path, stay on that path and graduate in two years. Our faculty created the Advancing Equity Teaching Academy to examine their teaching practices and find ways to ensure all students have the opportunity to learn and achieve their dreams. I am excited to say that these practices are beginning to make a difference. In the last three years we have seen our graduation rates increase by 10 percent, and we increased the number of students transferring to a four-year university by more than 100 students this past year.
Transforming culture and practices can be painful, however, as we have seen with our African-American/Black students and employees. Our college has acknowledged a history of racism and inequity and accomplished a body of work that is now seen as a model for other community colleges seeking inclusionary practices.
All our work has been augmented by the passion our community has for Southwestern College. Our South County neighbors consider us the community gathering place–from hosting outreach workshops to hosting political debates, from regional sports competitions to soccer and swimming club practices. This community love is evident in the two general obligation bonds passed in 2008 and 2012. Propositions R and Z have physically transformed our campuses with new science buildings and the realization of development on the corner lot of H Street and Otay Lakes Road with a new Wellness and Aquatic Complex open to students and the community and a new Performing Arts Center scheduled for completion in January.
As I wind down my educational career, I will hold the relationships I have made with so many of you as beautiful memories. I look forward to spending more time stand up paddle boarding and bicycling with my husband, Michael. I will finish my book, “Searching for Beach Glass,” which reflects on surviving grief. And because I’m not leaving the area, I hope to continue contributing to the greatness of this community.
Dr. Kindred Murillo is president and superintendent of Southwestern College.
