The beginning of the new year brings new opportunities for our students, employees and community. The winter intersession began Jan. 2, offering students the opportunity to get ahead on their educational plans through an intensive, three-week term.
When the full semester begins on Jan. 29, students will find that the Chula Vista campus has all-new building numbers and the beginnings of a more intuitive wayfinding signage system. With the growth and expansion of the campus, the numbering of new buildings has been inconsistent. Additionally, many of the new buildings are multi-storied, creating the need for identifying classrooms and offices in the existing single-story buildings as well as second- and third-floor spaces in the multi-story buildings.
The new renumbering system is an effort to bring uniformity and ease of navigation throughout the campus. Large cement pillars with new maps will be placed in strategic places across campus to help students and community members better navigate their way around the exterior and interior areas of campus.
January also kicks off one of the largest faculty hiring efforts in recent years Southwestern College history. The college will host a faculty hiring summit on Saturday, Jan. 11 from 9 a.m. to noon at Mayan Hall on the Chula Vista campus. The college is hiring 24 full-time faculty in subjects as diverse as English to Exercise Science and from Business to Nursing.
Hiring faculty is among one of the most important jobs for a college president. Because faculty can be with the district for 10 years and more, ensuring the college hires dynamic, equity-focused and inclusive faculty is imperative to meeting the needs of our diverse student population. The summit will include workshops on resume preparation for the community college system, as well as what to expect during interviews within this backdrop of equity and inclusivity. For additional information, visit www.swccd.edu/events.
Even before we gear up for the faculty hiring summit, the district has hired 65 people since July and we’re expecting to hire six to seven managers in the next two months. Many of the vacancies came this spring when a large number of our employees retired as part of an early retirement incentive.
Finally, January will also be the time that our College Police will be moving into their new building. The $8 million project, funded by Proposition R, includes offices for the police department, as well as locker rooms, an armory, emergency communications and a training room that is outfitted with an officer training simulator. There will also be a secure parking area for all college police vehicles.
The new building will also include community meeting rooms that will augment the community policing efforts Police Chief Davis Nighswonger has been implementing over the last semester. All college police officers have received community relations training that includes de-escalation tactics and the department is reactivating its College Police Advisory Board. To outreach to all college campus personnel, the chief and officers are holding “Coffee with a Cop” listening sessions and will be doing more foot and bicycle patrols.
Our police chief and officers are committed to strengthening relationships throughout the college community and serving as an example of ensuring safety while preserving the dignity of all the people they encounter.
Murillo is Superintendent/President of Southwestern College
