SDSU-IV to add new programs
CALEXICO – The establishment of four new bachelor’s and two new master’s programs at San Diego State University-Imperial Valley by 2025 is being proposed under SDSU’s five-year strategic plan.
The plan’s goal to create the new degree programs reflects five years of internal and community dialogue regarding the need to expand local offerings to better meet the higher education needs of the Valley.
“Taking into consideration all of the available facilities in support of student instruction and student engagement, currently available in both Calexico and Brawley, and the feedback shared by faculty, sta , students, and community members, the targeted number of new programs to be offered at SDSU-Imperial Valley by 2025 are viable and achievable,” according to a written statement provided by SDSU-IV.
The recently released strategic plan, entitled “We Rise We Defy: Transcending Borders, Transforming Lives,” identified five strategic goals for the university’s multiple campuses, and represents months of institutional research, benchmarking, and community engagement and input.
An additional goal for the Valley includes ensuring that by June 2021, SDSU-IV and the forthcoming SDSU Mission Valley have representation on university resource planning and recommending bodies.
Prior to the plan’s adoption, local representatives were already included in a number of University Senate bodies and in broader academic affairs resource planning discussions.
Currently, SDSU-IV is analyzing the university’s overall resource planning and recommending body’s governance structure to suggest changes to SDSU President Adela de la Torre and University Senate members.
“The strategic plan would elevate SDSU-Imperial Valley’s visibility to ensure appropriate review of submissions on behalf of the President’s Budget Advisory Council,” the SDSU-IV statement said.
Local representatives were also instrumental in providing input for the 2020-2025 strategic plan. Dean Gregorio Ponce, Associate Dean Mark Wheeler and Nursing Coordinator Helina Hoyt were members of the strategic planning committee.
The planning process also included on-site visits of SDSU-IV to provide information about the strategic planning process and to gather information to inform the final strategic plan.
“Involving SDSU- Imperial Valley at this level marks a significant change in the way the community has historically been involved in broader campus planning and decision-making,” the statement said.
“This level of involvement has occurred through deliberate efforts over the last two years to ensure that the specific needs of the students, faculty, staff and regional community in which SDSU- Imperial Valley resides are being identified and addressed.”
As part of the strategic plan, a pilot program would establish a daily shuttle service between the SDSU and SDSU-Imperial Valley campus locations by June 2023.
The inclusion of such a pilot program is in direct response to SDSU and local students and faculty’s requests through the years for such a service.
The pilot program would enhance the campus communities’ existing connections, an outgrowth of representatives’ travel between both locations for events, classes and meetings. Many of them have cited the two campuses’ physical distance and drive as a challenge.
“Introducing such a service is now reflected as an important outcome of the strategic plan, and will greatly benefit students and employees at both campus locations in the future,” the statement said. “Further, such a shuttle service will better connect our campuses and make it easier for students at each campus to take classes on the other, and faculty to collaborate on jointly- led research projects.”
The SDSU strategic plan identified five strategic priorities, and represent a focused and achievable plan.
It will expand educational access and enhance the ability of undergraduate and graduate students to reach their personal and academic goals. The university’s research capabilities will also be accelerated.
Besides Imperial Valley, the university also operates SDSU Georgia, located in Tbilisi, Georgia, and the forthcoming SDSU Mission Valley.