Southwestern College is a public community college in Chula Vista, California. Founded in 1961, Southwestern College serves approximately 19,000 students annually.
History
The Southwestern Community College District, located south of San Diego and extending to the U.S.—Mexico border, is one of 72 community college districts in the California Community College system. It serves as the primary source of college education for over 400,000 residents of the SouthSan Diego County area including the communities of Bonita, Chula Vista, Imperial Beach, National City, South San Diego and Coronado. The college began offering classes to 1,657 students in 1961, with temporary quarters in Chula Vista High School. Groundbreaking for the present campus was in 1963 and by September 1964, initial construction was completed and classes were being held at the new campus on the corner of Otay Lakes Road and East H Street in Chula Vista. In 1988, Southwestern College established its Higher Education Center at San Ysidro on the site of the McDonald's massacre. The college again expanded its off-campus locations in 1998 by establishing the Higher Education Center at National City, and in 2007, the Higher Education Center at Otay Mesa officially opened. In addition to its centers, Southwestern College also provides off-campus classes at several extension sites throughout the district and operates an Aquatic Center in Coronado in conjunction with the California Department of Boating and Waterways. Current enrollment at all locations exceeds 19,000 students. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges has continuously accredited Southwestern College. The college offers a comprehensive curriculum, preparing students for transfer to four-year universities as well as preparing students for jobs and career advancement. Of the more than 1,100 community colleges nationwide, Southwestern College consistently places in the top 100 in the number of associate degrees conferred. The college mascot is the Jaguar, changed from an Apache amid local and national concerns about using Native American peoples as mascots.
Southwestern College's football stadium hosts Bonita Vista High School's football games. The campus has many state of the art athletic facilities including:
artificial turf football field
- artificial turf half football field
baseball stadium
- dirt track - soccer field - softball field - Football stadium with weight room looking over the field - brand new indoor swimming pool - basketball gym - Five full-size tennis courts During the week and weekends these fields double as youth soccer fields from ages 6–18.
