San Diego & Imperial County Community Colleges, Legislators, and Business Leaders Unite to Defend Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) Funding

 

August 28, 2025

Group of SDICCA supporters

[Chula Vista, CA] — Today, the San Diego & Imperial Counties Community College Association (SDICCCA) — representing six community college districts and more than 200,000 students, joined with state legislators, business leaders, and students to call for the protection of Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) funding in the wake of the U.S. Department of Justice’s decision not to defend the program against a federal lawsuit.

At a press conference hosted at Southwestern College, leaders stressed that HSIs are not preferential programs, but essential workforce infrastructure that power California’s economy.

“Community colleges educate 70% of California’s nurses and 80% of its first responders,” said Southwestern College President and SDICCCA President Mark Sanchez. “HSI funding strengthens the programs that prepare our essential workforce. Weakening this support undermines California’s safety, competitiveness, and prosperity.”

Approximately $15 million is received by SDICCCA member colleges and if these funds were disrupted, critical student support services, such as tutoring, advising, STEM labs, and first and second-year experience programs, would be at risk. These are programs that directly impact persistence, transfer, and graduation. Without continued federal support, it would be extremely difficult to sustain them at their current scale.

Tens of thousands of students, especially first-generation and low-income, benefit directly. But every student on our campuses benefits from stronger advising, labs, and career pathways that these grants support.

California Assemblymember David Alvarez highlighted the bipartisan urgency of defending HSI programs: “Defending Hispanic-Serving Institutions is defending opportunity, equity, and the future of California’s workforce, said Alvarez.

Business leaders echoed the message, emphasizing the link between HSI programs and workforce readiness. Taylor Dunn, Director of Talent Initiatives, San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (SDREDC) explained:

“San Diego’s innovation economy is world-class, but growth is increasingly constrained by talent. While Hispanic/Latine students make up a large share of our K–12 pipeline, they are underrepresented in today’s innovation workforce, and too many graduates are not yet college-ready—leaving real jobs unfilled and real opportunity on the table. Hispanic-Serving Institutions are indispensable to closing that gap. HSIs enroll a significant share of Latine undergraduates and many Pell-eligible students; they anchor opportunity locally. Equally important, HSI funds support all students—strengthening advising, transfer, tutoring, work-based learning, and completion across the entire community.

Cuyamaca College alumnus and current San Diego State University student, Manuel Juarez Lopez, underscored the impact of HSI support:

“I first started attending Cuyamaca College in 2022 because of the great value and opportunity the college provided, and to continue a passion of mine, competing with the Cuyamaca Men’s Track & Field team. What I soon discovered was a ‘true community.’ I can say firsthand that the strength of Hispanic Serving Institutions of higher education, creates meaningful pathways for students like me and others to succeed,” explains Lopez.

About SDICCCA

The San Diego & Imperial Counties Community College Association (SDICCCA) represents six community college districts: Southwestern, San Diego, Grossmont-Cuyamaca, Palomar, MiraCosta, and Imperial Valley. Together, these colleges serve more than 206,000 students and provide the workforce backbone of the region’s $250 billion economy.

Additional Quotes:

“Halting the Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) program would have serious and far-reaching consequences for our region, which is home to the fourth-largest Latino population in California,” said Chris Cate, President and CEO of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. “With 73% of high-demand jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree, cutting this support undermines student success and threatens the future of our economy. Our binational region depends on a well-prepared workforce, and disrupting this talent pipeline jeopardizes job growth and competitiveness on an incomprehensible scale. Supporting the HSI program is not just an investment in students; it’s an investment in long-term economic stability. Now is not the time to retreat on progress.”

“Community colleges aren’t just schools, they’re California’s workforce engines,” said Dr. Rowena Tomaneng, Deputy Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. “We train 70 percent of the state’s nurses, 80 percent of its first responders, and countless skilled workers in advanced manufacturing, green energy, cybersecurity, and healthcare. These are the very industries that power the fifth-largest economy in the world.”

“As the largest institution of higher education in East County, the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District is proud to serve nearly 29,000 students a year, over 35% of whom are Hispanic/Latine,” stated Lynn Neault, Chancellor of GCCCD. “Having access to this funding recognizes who we serve, and it provides resources to help them, and countless others succeed. With over 315 competitive degree and certificate programs, Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges are providing premier workforce education to these students.”

“HSI programs are working,” said San Diego Community College District Chancellor Gregory Smith. “Over the last three years, our colleges have increased degree attainment in science, technology, engineering, and math by 15% through the student-centered support provided by our HSI STEM programs. Our focus should be expanding, not eliminating, these highly successful programs that uplift our communities and regional economy.”

“Federal funding for HSIs is not about preferential treatment, but about a shared commitment to building opportunity,” explained Lennor M. Johnson, Ed.D. Superintendent/President of Imperial Valley College (IVC) in Imperial County. “Support for institutions like IVC ensures that every student has access to better career connections and stronger academic programs. This investment in our local workforce benefits all of California and bolsters the competitive edge of our binational mega-region.”

Mark Cafferty, President and CEO, San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, explains:

“San Diego’s economy continues to thrive because of the talent coming from both our universities and our community colleges, which directly reflect our region's K-12 demographics. Partnerships between education and industry represent the very foundation of our economic growth and prosperity. And the ability for these schools to work with all students—particularly Hispanic students, low-income students, and those who have been historically disconnected from economic opportunity—is critically important to the success of our region’s businesses and industry clusters, which rely on this supply of homegrown talent. At San Diego Regional EDC, our support of HSI programs and funding remains unwavering.”

Speakers from the press conference included:

 

Contact:
Sofia Salgado Robitaille, srobitaille@swccd.edu, 619-743-1604

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