FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 04, 2026

Regional Community Colleges Honor Veterans
With Expanded Services and Week of Veterans Day Events

In honor of Veterans Day, the San Diego & Imperial Counties Community Colleges Association (SDICCCA) is recognizing the service of our nation’s veterans and the programs across the region that help them reach their education and career goals.

SDICCCA’s 10 member colleges serve nearly 18,000 veterans and military-affiliated students, including military dependents. Each college offers services designed to ease the transition from military to civilian life. These include help with GI Bill and Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits, academic and career counseling, mental health support, priority registration, peer mentoring, and dedicated veterans resource centers.

“Veterans bring extraordinary leadership, resilience, and life experience to our campuses,” said Dr. Lynn Neault, President of SDICCCA and Chancellor of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District. “Our colleges are deeply honored to serve our military community as they pursue higher education and workforce training leading to new careers and continued service to their communities.”

Highlights from each college follow, including Veterans Day events and the number of veterans and military-connected students served.

Cuyamaca College

Cuyamaca’s bond-funded Veterans Center offers computers, a spacious lounge and a fully stocked pantry and kitchenette. It also provides free bus passes, scholarships and help with VA education benefits. Through partnerships such as Service to School, the center connects students with transfer and career opportunities.
Events include: Open house on Tuesday, Nov. 10, the Marine Corps’ birthday.
Served: More than 400 veterans and military-connected students.

Grossmont College

Grossmont’s bond-funded Veterans Resource Center includes a kitchen and living room, a 15-station computer lab, a private study area, counseling offices and an outdoor lounge overlooking Mission Trails Regional Park. The center has logged nearly 4,000 student visits in 2026 and has provided laptops, backpacks and other supplies to veterans and dependents in need.
Events include: Three days of events during Veterans Week honoring military-affiliated students.
Served: More than 1,100 military-affiliated students so far this year.

Imperial Valley College

IVC’s Military & Veteran Success Center offers VA benefits assistance, priority registration, tutoring, computer and printing services, textbook assistance, and study and lounge space. It recently began offering free parking permits to veterans, active-duty service members and military dependents.
Events include: Annual Veterans Day Celebration honoring a local veteran, Thursday, Nov. 12, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Open to the public; lunch provided.
Served: 369.

MiraCosta College

MiraCosta College supports military-connected students through specialized counseling, education benefits assistance, and access to campus and community resources. One of only two institutions in San Diego County with a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs VetSuccess on Campus representative, the college recently opened a state-of-the-art Veterans Center with $1.5 million in state funding. Located in the Student Services Building on the Oceanside Campus, the center features an 800-square-foot lounge, computer stations, textbook loans, and dedicated offices for VA representatives and counselors.

Served: 2,778 military-connected students, up 10 percent from the previous year.

Palomar College

Palomar’s expanded Veterans Resource Center on the San Marcos campus offers guidance on VA education benefits, mental health referrals and tutoring.
Events include: Ceremony honoring military-affiliated students, Thursday, Nov. 5, Veterans Memorial Lawn, San Marcos campus.
Served: 5,000 veterans, active-duty service members and dependents.

 San Diego City College

City College’s Veterans Service Center helps veterans and active-duty service members transition to civilian life through peer mentoring, a VA work-study program and monthly sessions with the VA regional outreach team to help veterans file disability claims.
Events include: Student veteran recognition with music, speeches and lunch, Thursday, Nov. 12, 1 to 3 p.m., A Building Patio.
Served: 1,832 military-affiliated students, including 1,372 veterans.

San Diego College of Continuing Education

SDCCE is completing a new Veterans Student Success Center, with a grand opening tentatively set for early 2027. The center will offer education planning, résumé and interview help, counseling, veteran support groups, and help with VA benefits and financial aid.
Events include: Scholarships FORE Veterans Golf Tournament with its San Diego Community College District sister colleges, Friday, Nov. 20.
Served: 279 veterans and dependents.

San Diego Mesa College

A designated Military Friendly School, Mesa offers a Veterans Internship Program, academic and wellness counseling, scholarship support and more.
Events: Saturday, Nov. 7, 6 p.m.: Military/Veterans Appreciation Game, Olympians vs. Riverside City College; Tuesday, Nov. 10, 8 to 10 a.m., Pancake Social, 72Fifty Restaurant (Room MC-209); Tuesday, Nov. 10, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., VA Disability Clinic, Veterans Success Center; Tuesday, Nov. 10, 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Veteran Career Panel, Veterans Success Center; Thursday, Nov. 12, all day, Wellness painting activity, Veterans Success Center; Catered food at the Veterans Success Center all week.

Served: 2,514 military-connected students, including 1,886 veterans.

 San Diego Miramar College

• Miramar offers general education courses at nearby Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Its expanded 3,000-square-foot Veterans Resource Center has private study and meeting rooms, a student lounge and a full-time veterans counselor, plus peer mentoring, tutoring and VA benefits assistance.
  Events include: Veterans Day Luncheon, Tuesday, Nov. 10, noon to 1:30 p.m., Room K-107. Drop-in counseling and priority registration through Nov. 12, first come, first served. DSPS and Veterans Support table in the Student Lounge, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., through Dec. 19.
  Served: 2,698 military-affiliated students, including 1,932 veterans.

 Southwestern College

• Southwestern’s Veterans’ Resource Center offers help with education benefits, financial aid, counseling and career planning. It also has a 12-station computer lab, peer tutoring and a textbook exchange.
  Events include: Veterans Day ceremony, Wednesday, Nov. 4, noon, Performing Arts Center.
  Served: 733 in 2025-26.

About SDICCCA
The San Diego & Imperial Counties Community Colleges Association (SDICCCA) is a regional consortium of community college districts working collaboratively to advance educational opportunities and student success across San Diego and Imperial Counties. SDICCCA’s colleges serve more than 200,000 students annually, providing affordable, high-quality education and workforce training for diverse learners throughout the region.

SDICCCA comprises the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District (Grossmont and Cuyamaca Colleges), Imperial Valley College, MiraCosta College, Palomar College, the San Diego Community College District (City, Mesa, and Miramar Colleges, and San Diego College of Continuing Education), and Southwestern College. 

Media Contact:
Jennifer N. Kearns, M.S.
Director of Public, Government, and Community Relations
Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District
jennifer.kearns@gcccd.edu

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