College honored for excellence in helping Latino students transfer to four-year institutions
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The Campaign for College Opportunity named Oxnard College a 2021 Equity Champion of Higher Education for its Excellence in Transfer for Latino students through Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT). Oxnard College, which has a predominantly Latino student body, offers 31 ADT programs covering a wide range of subject areas. These programs meet minimum eligibility requirements for admission to a California State University and guarantee students’ acceptance.
The college’s Latino students obtain ADTs at a rate 2.3% higher than the campus-wide average, reported the California-based nonprofit that advocates for equity in higher education.
“Oxnard College’s efforts to increase transfer rates among Latino students will help lift a generation of families into Ventura County’s middle class,” said Oscar Cobian, vice president of student development. “We’re committed to providing the transfer services and resources our students need to achieve their educational aspirations.”
The college has been a Hispanic-Serving Institution since its inception in 1975. In 2020, it received a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to increase equitable student outcomes among Latino and low-income students as they pursue their career and transfer goals.
The federal grant, “Proyecto Éxito,” expanded staffing at Oxnard College’s University Transfer Center, provided additional transfer workshops for students and their families and offered professional development opportunities for employees, who are essential to building a transfer culture throughout the college.
Additional strategies for transfer readiness include field trips to universities and celebrating Transfer Thursdays, where students and employees wear university apparel to spark conversations about transfer plans and encourage sharing of success stories. The center’s staff help students develop a University Transfer Plan, and student mentors update their peers on the next steps throughout the transfer process.
In partnership with Downtown Oxnard, the college also honored the graduating class of 2021 by featuring individual graduates on lamppost banners during the summer and fall.
“I’m committed to equity and social justice issues and serving all students. As a longtime educator in the local K-12 school system, I find it especially rewarding to see the dedication Oxnard College has to student success for current and future Latinx students,” said Ventura County Community College District Trustee Gabriela Torres.
The Campaign for College Opportunity’s recognition was made during the nonprofit's virtual Champions of Higher Education for Excellence in Transfer awards ceremony in November. It comes amid several national awards the college has received in recent years.
Earlier this year, Oxnard College was named among the nation’s top 150 community colleges eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Additionally, the prestigious Bellwether College Consortium recognized the college’s Fire Academy and Dental Hygiene programs for their work to safely return students to instruction during the pandemic.