San Diego Mesa College
Encyclopedia
San Diego Mesa College is a public, two-year community college
perched on a mesa
in the Clairemont
neighborhood of San Diego, California
in the United States
. It is the largest community college in the city of San Diego and part of the San Diego Community College District
along with San Diego City College
, San Diego Miramar College
and San Diego Continuing Education
. The college is known informally as Mesa College or Mesa.
Mesa College is one of the 112 California Community Colleges and the 16th largest community college in the state.
authorized postsecondary classes for San Diego high school students. Classes opened with four faculty members serving 35 students.
San Diego Mesa College first opened in 1964. Initially offering education to 1,800 students, it has grown to become one of the largest community colleges in California
.
Between 1965 and 1968 the college newspaper, The Olympian, was produced by the journalism students under the supervision of Richard H. Tarquinio, the journalism instructor. During the academic year, 1967–68, the newspaper became The Daily Olympian, producing four 4-page issues each week and noted at that time as the only junior college daily newspaper in the nation. The journalism students in the same period produced four issues of a monthly magazine, The Dyonisian, drawing the name from the Greek heritage of the college. At the beginning of the 1968 academic year, the paper returned to weekly publication under the supervision of Andrew Makarushka, the new faculty advisor. John Nunes and John Baldwin served as Co-Editors during the Fall 1968 semester. Gerry Gazlay served as Editor-in-Chief during both the Spring 1969 and Spring 1970 semesters. Craig Whetstine was the Editor-in-Chief during the Fall 1969 semester. The Olympian won a First Class Honor Rating award from the Associated Collegiate Press for the issues published during the Spring 1970 semester. Those issues included three special editions, one concerning a student strike at Mesa in protest of the U.S. invasion of Cambodia ("The Strike Issue"), one regarding the first Earth Day in 1970, and another focusing on minority students at the college ("The Minority Student at Mesa"). In the Spring of 1971, the paper changed its name to "The School Paper." The publication's current name is "The Mesa Press."
In the mid-1990s, Mesa College began to construct on its campus the Learning Resource Center (LRC). It opened its doors to students on April 20, 1998. It serves as the campus library (employing the Library of Congress Classification
system) and offers study areas and computer labs. It was constructed at a cost of $20 million and has four stories occupying 107,000 square feet (9,900 m²). A bond measure passed in 2002 and another in 2007 will allow construction of additional facilities on campus.
American film star Annette Bening
, former St. Louis Rams
head coach
Mike Martz
and Detroit Lions
Assistant Director of College Scouting Lance Newmark attended San Diego Mesa College.
.
and California State University
schools.
It has been consistently rated within the top 100 community colleges in the United States
.
The college newspaper, The Mesa Press, is run by journalism students and covers Mesa-related news.
The Mesa College Foundation offers scholarships to Mesa students. It awarded over $120,000 in scholarships to Mesa students in 2004.
since 1982.
On March 11, 2009, Mesa College opened a newly constructed parking structure on campus.
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
perched on a mesa
Mesa
A mesa or table mountain is an elevated area of land with a flat top and sides that are usually steep cliffs. It takes its name from its characteristic table-top shape....
in the Clairemont
Clairemont, San Diego, California
Clairemont is a suburban neighborhood in northern San Diego.It includes the separate neighborhoods of North Clairemont, South Clairemont, Clairemont Mesa East and Clairemont Mesa West...
neighborhood of San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is the largest community college in the city of San Diego and part of the San Diego Community College District
San Diego Community College District
The San Diego Community College District is a public community college division in the city of San Diego, California. The district is one of the five community college districts in San Diego County; part of the greater California Community College system...
along with San Diego City College
San Diego City College
San Diego City College is a public, two-year community college located in San Diego, California. City College is part of the San Diego Community College District along with San Diego Mesa College, San Diego Miramar College and San Diego Continuing Education...
, San Diego Miramar College
San Diego Miramar College
San Diego Miramar College is two-year community college located in San Diego, CA, USA. It is administered by the San Diego Community College District.-History:...
and San Diego Continuing Education
San Diego Continuing Education
San Diego Continuing Education is a public, non-credit educational institution in San Diego, California. It is part of the San Diego Community College District along with three two-year community colleges: San Diego City, San Diego Mesa and San Diego Miramar colleges. It is administered by the...
. The college is known informally as Mesa College or Mesa.
Mesa College is one of the 112 California Community Colleges and the 16th largest community college in the state.
History
Community college education in San Diego began in 1914 when the Board of Education of the San Diego City SchoolsSan Diego City Schools
San Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
authorized postsecondary classes for San Diego high school students. Classes opened with four faculty members serving 35 students.
San Diego Mesa College first opened in 1964. Initially offering education to 1,800 students, it has grown to become one of the largest community colleges in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Between 1965 and 1968 the college newspaper, The Olympian, was produced by the journalism students under the supervision of Richard H. Tarquinio, the journalism instructor. During the academic year, 1967–68, the newspaper became The Daily Olympian, producing four 4-page issues each week and noted at that time as the only junior college daily newspaper in the nation. The journalism students in the same period produced four issues of a monthly magazine, The Dyonisian, drawing the name from the Greek heritage of the college. At the beginning of the 1968 academic year, the paper returned to weekly publication under the supervision of Andrew Makarushka, the new faculty advisor. John Nunes and John Baldwin served as Co-Editors during the Fall 1968 semester. Gerry Gazlay served as Editor-in-Chief during both the Spring 1969 and Spring 1970 semesters. Craig Whetstine was the Editor-in-Chief during the Fall 1969 semester. The Olympian won a First Class Honor Rating award from the Associated Collegiate Press for the issues published during the Spring 1970 semester. Those issues included three special editions, one concerning a student strike at Mesa in protest of the U.S. invasion of Cambodia ("The Strike Issue"), one regarding the first Earth Day in 1970, and another focusing on minority students at the college ("The Minority Student at Mesa"). In the Spring of 1971, the paper changed its name to "The School Paper." The publication's current name is "The Mesa Press."
In the mid-1990s, Mesa College began to construct on its campus the Learning Resource Center (LRC). It opened its doors to students on April 20, 1998. It serves as the campus library (employing the Library of Congress Classification
Library of Congress Classification
The Library of Congress Classification is a system of library classification developed by the Library of Congress. It is used by most research and academic libraries in the U.S. and several other countries; for example, Australia and Taiwan, R.O.C. It is not to be confused with the Library of...
system) and offers study areas and computer labs. It was constructed at a cost of $20 million and has four stories occupying 107,000 square feet (9,900 m²). A bond measure passed in 2002 and another in 2007 will allow construction of additional facilities on campus.
American film star Annette Bening
Annette Bening
Annette Carol Bening is an American actress. Bening is a four-time Oscar nominee for her roles in The Grifters, American Beauty, Being Julia and The Kids Are All Right, winning Golden Globe Awards for the latter two films...
, former St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Mike Martz
Mike Martz
Michael Martz is a former NFL head coach and currently the offensive coordinator for the National Football League's Chicago Bears....
and Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
Assistant Director of College Scouting Lance Newmark attended San Diego Mesa College.
Administration
It is administered by the San Diego Community College District. Mesa is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and CollegesWestern Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United States and foreign institutions of American origin. The Western Association of...
.
Academics
Mesa College is coeducational. It has a semester-based academic calendar and resides on a campus of 104 acres (42.1 ha). Enrollment as of August 2004 was 22,573 students. Courses are provided in general education, lower-division transfer programs, occupational and developmental education. It is particularly known for its strong music program. Mesa has transfer agreements in place with most University of CaliforniaUniversity of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
and California State University
California State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
schools.
It has been consistently rated within the top 100 community colleges in the United States
Community colleges in the United States
In the United States, community colleges are primarily two-year public institutions of higher education and were once commonly called junior colleges....
.
The college newspaper, The Mesa Press, is run by journalism students and covers Mesa-related news.
The Mesa College Foundation offers scholarships to Mesa students. It awarded over $120,000 in scholarships to Mesa students in 2004.
Sports
Mesa College has baseball, racquetball, swimming, tennis, soccer and football sport facilities on campus. The Olympians, the football team, has competed in the second Pacific Coast ConferencePacific Coast Conference
The Pacific Coast Conference was a college athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pacific-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, the older league had a completely different charter and was disbanded in 1959 due to a major crisis...
since 1982.
Campus
The campus is generally divided into an upper and lower level with the Learning Resource Center (LRC) overlooking the lower level. It sits adjacent to the Tecolote Canyon Natural Park.Parking
Student parking is available in both upper and lower parking lots and along campus streets. Small amounts of public parking are available surrounding the campus but most is designated as local resident parking by the city of San Diego.On March 11, 2009, Mesa College opened a newly constructed parking structure on campus.