Don’t give up on City College, register for classes now

Editorial by Juan Gonzalez, El Tecolote

City College is OPEN and ACCREDITED. These are the words posted by Interim Chancellor Thelma Scott-Skillman on the front page of the college website.

With all the recent negative publicity surrounding City College over its threatened loss of accreditation, there is growing concern that it may discourage students from returning to the college. A drop in enrollment means a cut in state funds, which would only compound the college’s problems.

Save-City-College-march-from-campuses-to-City-Hall-0313-by-Deborah-Svoboda-KQED-web, Don’t give up on City College, register for classes now, Culture Currents But for now, the City College remains open and accredited through July 31, 2014. In the meantime, it is appealing the decision of the Accrediting Commission for Junior and Community Colleges. It hopes to revoke the decision and win more time to resolve issues cited by the commission.

Closing City College is wrong and a big disservice to students. The college is recognized as one of the best learning institutions in the country. Its student transfer rate to other colleges is the highest when compared to other community colleges. The success rate of its students makes City College a beacon for higher learning. Likewise, many of its former students can be found entrenched in the San Francisco workforce.

So you see, City College is worth keeping open, especially for generations to come. Don’t turn your back on City College. Re-enroll for the fall 2013 semester. If you are a first timer, log onto register@ccsf.edu and begin the process. Instruction begins Aug. 14.

Let’s not give up on City College. No doubt, it is an educational gem worth keeping.

Juan Gonzalez, founder, editor and publisher of El Tecolote, a bilingual newspaper serving San Francisco’s Mission District and beyond that practices advocacy journalism, who also heads of the Journalism Department at City College of San Francisco, can be reached at accionjg@aim.com.

City College of San Francisco is and will continue to be OPEN and ACCREDITED in Bayview Hunters Point

by Torrance Bynum, dean, Evans/Southeast Center, City College of San Francisco

City College of San Francisco is open for business. We have added classes to the Evans/Southeast Center. Our mission is to assist all of our students to:

  • transfer to baccalaureate institutions
  • achieve associate degrees in arts and sciences
  • acquire certificates and obtain career skills needed for success in the workplace
  • provide basic skills, including English as a Second Language, and advance in our Transitional Studies Program.

City College of San Francisco Evans/Southeast Center will continue to serve the community with open arms, open hands and open minds. We are an accredited institution. We will continue to enhance our accredited programs, credit and non-credit.

As the new dean for the Evans/Southeast Center, it is my goal to continue our programs and services. I am pleased with the process we at CCSF have made; we must continue to strengthen our programs and services. We have involved the community. It is critical that we provide classes and services that will benefit and enhance education to our community members. It is also my goal and mission to offer classes and programs that will prepare our students for a higher degree or certificates that will lead to a career.

We will begin Fall Semester on Aug. 14, 2013. I invite all of you to enroll in a class and tell a friend, family member or co-worker that City College is OPEN.

City College is OPEN and ACCREDITED. ENROLL NOW!

I invite the community to go to our website at www.ccsf.edu for a listing of all the classes that we offer at CCSF. You will find hard copies of the CCSF class schedules throughout the community.

Torrance Bynum is dean of the Evans/Southeast Center, City College of San Francisco. The Southeast campus is located at 1800 Oakdale Ave. and the Evans campus at 1400 Evans Ave., both in Bayview Hunters Point, San Francisco. He can be reached at tbynum@ccsf.edu.