San Diego Mesa College
Community college education in San Diego began in 1914 when the Board of Education of the San Diego City Schools authorized post-secondary classes for San Diego high school students. In 1956, San Diego voters authorized the first of two bonds to establish and construct what would become San Diego Mesa College on an 85-acre mesa next to Stephen Watts Kearny High School. Classes began in 1963 with four faculty members serving 35 students at the 900 building at Kearny High while construction on the college’s campus was completed. The campus was officially opened in January 1964. It has since grown into one of the largest community colleges in the City of San Diego and the 11 largest community college in California.
In 2016, Mesa College became one of the first 15 California community colleges to offer four-year, bachelor's degrees.
Administration
The college is administered by the San Diego Community College District. Mesa is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Academics
Courses are provided in general education, lower-division transfer programs, occupational and developmental education.
As of February 2024, Mesa College offers almost 200 associate degree and certificate programs.
In 2016, Mesa was one of the first California Community Colleges to be approved to offer a four-year bachelor’s degree program. The first class with a Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management graduated in spring 2018. 22 students graduated with a B.S. from the Health Information Management Program in Spring 2023. In October of 2023, Mesa was approved to offer an additional bachelor’s program in the Physical Therapist Assistant Program.
Transfers
San Diego Mesa college offers Transfer Admission Guarantee programs that provide pathways to San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego. Additionally, the College offers Associate Degree for Transfer programs in many departments.
According to Mesa’s 2022-2023 factsheet, “Mesa College ranks as one of San Diego's top transfer institutions. Mesa’s transfer rate consistently surpasses the statewide average, with over half of the college’s students transferring to a four-year institution within six years.”
Mesa also staffs a Transfer Center in its Student Support department, providing dedicated counseling and resources.
Mesa College Foundation
The Mesa College Foundation offers scholarships to Mesa students. In 2023, it awarded $159,566 in scholarships across 118 opportunities to 168 student recipients.
Campus
San Diego Mesa College is located in the Clairemont Mesa neighborhood of central San Diego. The campus is bordered by the Tecolote Nature Preserve, Kearny Mesa, and residential neighborhoods. It is home to over 20 instructional buildings and athletic facilities and fields, the Learning Resource Center (LRC), Library, and Mesa Commons. Mesa Commons houses a multi-cuisine cafeteria and student-run restaurant, 72Fifty.
Campus landscaping features native species and an environmental learning garden. There is also a geo-garden located in the courtyard of the Math + Science Complex. In addition, the Mesa Woodland Nature and Interpretive Trail is the largest display of labeled native plants in San Diego county, with 41 native species, including four endangered plants: the San Diego Barrel Cactus, Chalk Dudleya. Willowy Mint, and Torrey Pine.
Art facilities include the Gracia Molina de Pick Glass Gallery, the World Art Collection Gallery, and the Mesa College Art Gallery.
Mesa College is serviced at the Rosa Parks transit center by MTS route 44 at the eastern edge of campus. The station’s name honors Rosa Parks, the groundbreaking civil rights leader who made three trips to Mesa in the 1990s.
Student life
The student body government is the Associated Students (AS), organized into an executive council and senate. In addition, over 30 student clubs are represented by the Interclub Council (ICC).
There are also multiple on-campus community centers; the Dreamer Resource Center, FAST Center, Veterans Success Center, Transfer Center, Career Center, Avanza Engagement Center, and Pride Center.
The college newspaper, The Mesa Press, is run by journalism students and covers Mesa-related news. It has published since 1966.
Athletics
| Men's sports | Women's sports |
|---|---|
| Baseball | Badminton |
| Basketball | Basketball |
| Cross country | Beach volleyball |
| Football | Cross country |
| Soccer | Soccer |
| Swimming and diving | Softball |
| Track and field | Swimming and diving |
| Volleyball | Track and field |
| Water polo | Volleyball |
| Water polo |
The athletics facilities are at the campus's eastern edge. The Merrill Douglas Stadium (named after the first athletic director at the college) provides a venue for the Olympians Football team, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, and Men’s and Women's Track and Field. Additional facilities include a baseball field, softball fields, gymnasium, swimming pool, tennis courts, upper field and beach volleyball courts. In 2016, the 27,000-square-foot Exercise Science building opened. It is home to the School of Exercise Science, Health Education, Dance and Athletics programs.
San Diego Mesa College offers 19 competitive teams across men’s and women’s sports. On average, 220 student-athletes participate in the program. All student athletes must enroll in at least 12 units per semester and maintain at least a 2.0 GPA. The college mascot is the Olympians. The football team has competed in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference (PCAC) since 1982 in every sport except for football where they have competed under the Central League in the Southern California Football Association.
As of 2023, Mesa athletes competed in the California Community College Athletic Association State Championships in 7 sports. The Women’s Volleyball team and Women’s Badminton team are ranked 1 in the state. Men’s Track and Field are 2, and Women’s Track and Field are 3 , with an additional four and two individual state champions from the teams, respectively. In Men’s Volleyball, they ranked 4 in the state. Two Women’s Beach Volleyball teams and the Softball team qualified for their state championships, and the Women’s Swimming and Diving team ranked 1 in their conference.
The program has also been awarded the Pacific Coast Athletics Conference's highest honor, the Chet DeVore Trophy, four times. The DeVore award is presented annually to the PCAC member college with the most successful men’s and women’s intercollegiate athletic program for the academic year. Mesa College won the honor in 2011-2012, 2018-2019, 2021-2022, and 2022-2023.
Notable alumni
- Tony Banks, former NFL quarterback. Played quarterback at Mesa from 1992 to 1993.
- Anthony J. Battaglia, senior United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, attended Mesa in the late 1960s
- Annette Bening, actress
- Darren Comeaux, former NFL linebacker. Played at Mesa from 1978 to 1979.
- Sam Daghles, current Jordanian national basketball team head coach & former Jordanian league basketball player. Played at Mesa from 1999 to 2001.
- Roger Guy English, American businessman and world record holder
- Billy Eppler, former general manager of the New York Mets Major League Baseball tea
- Monique Henderson, Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist at 2004 and 2008 games in 4x400 meter relay. Professor at Mesa College until 2015.
- Mireille Kamariza, Burundian-born American bioscientist
- Jonny Kim, American sailor, physician, and astronaut (born 1984)
- Matt Kofler, former NFL quarterback and head coach of San Diego Mesa Olympians Football team 2006–2008. Played quarterback at Mesa from 1978 to 1979.
- Shlomo Lipetz, Israeli baseball player as well as Vice President of Programming and music director at City Winery in Manhattan. Played at Mesa from 1999 to 2000.
- Mike Martz, former NFL coordinator and head coach. Played tight end at Mesa in 1969. Coached at Mesa in 1974, 1976, 1977.
- Lou Niles, radio host of 91X and executive director of Oceanside International Film Festival
- Michelle Ozbun, virologist and professor
- Brittney Reese, Olympic gold medalist in the long jump, assistant track and field coach at San Diego Mesa College since 2013
- Arnie Robinson, Olympic Medalist in the long jump at the '72 and '76 Olympics. Head Track and Field Coach at Mesa from 1987 to 2010.
- Felix Sanchez, Olympic gold medalist at 2004 games and the 2012 games in the 400 meter hurdles.
- Rick Stephenson, champion bodybuilder
- Snow Tha Product, American rapper (born 1987)