A newly formed task force convened Friday for the first time to begin shaping the future of higher education in the South Bay, bringing together regional leaders, educators and community representatives to chart a path toward a proposed multi-institution university district in Chula Vista.
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The South County Higher Education Planning Task Force, established under Assembly Bill 662 authored by Assemblymember David Alvarez, held its inaugural meeting at Chula Vista City Hall. The panel is charged with developing recommendations on governance, financing and land use for the University District at Chula Vista — a proposed campus on a 383-acre, city-owned site in eastern Chula Vista that has been in planning since 1993.
Alvarez, who also secured $25 million in state funding for the nearby Millenia Library building that will host university courses, told task force members Friday that the work ahead carries significant weight.
“We’re looking at serving the students and having systems adapt to students as opposed to students adapting to systems and that’s your challenge,” Alvarez said.
The task force elected Clarissa Reyes Falcon, principal owner of Falcon Strategies, as chair and Mark Sanchez, superintendent/president of Southwestern Community College District, as vice chair.
In remarks before the vote, Falcon described her approach to the role as one of facilitation rather than direction.
“I don’t come into this role with a need to drive a particular outcome,” she said. “I come with a commitment to the integrity of the process.”
Sanchez, in accepting the vice chair nomination, pointed to partnerships already underway at Southwestern College as a working model for the broader district vision, including agreements with San Diego State University, UC San Diego, CSU San Marcos, National University local, Point Loma Nazarene University, Arizona State University and the University of Southern California, which is set to begin offering graduate programs in Chula Vista in fall 2027.
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The task force includes 14 members with two alternates who were appointed by the President of the University of California, the Chancellor of California State University, the Chancellor of California Community Colleges, the City of Chula Vista, the Sweetwater Union High School District and appointees of the Assembly speaker and Senate president pro tempore.
Members are:
- William “Bill” Tong, Provost and Senior Vice President, San Diego State University; Alternate: Sonja Pruitt-Lord, Vice Provost
- Mark Sanchez, Superintendent/President, Southwestern Community College District; Zaneta Encarnacion, Chief of Staff, Southwestern Community College District
- John C. Moore, Dean of Undergraduate Education, University of California San Diego; Olivia A. Graeve, Elias Masry Endowed Professor in Engineering, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California San Diego, and Chair Emerita, UC San Diego Divisional Academic Senate
- Tiffany Allen, City Manager
- Moises Aguirre, Superintendent; Alternate: Vernon Moore, Assistant Superintendent of Educational Equity and Support Services
- Gala Ledezma, Senior Research Analyst, California State University System Office, and Ph.D. Graduate Student, University of California Irvine; Valita Jones, Director, Office of Diversity & Community Partnerships, University of California San Diego; Adrian Arancibia, Professor of English & Chicano Studies, San Diego Community College District, and Board Trustee, Sweetwater Union High School District
- Clarissa Falcon, Principal Owner and Consultant, Falcon Strategies; David Malcolm, President, Cal West Apartments, Inc.
- Maria Anguiano, Entrepreneur in Residence, College Futures Foundation; Virginia Guerra, Navy Commander, Equal Employment Specialist
Marlene Garcia, a task force senior advisor and lead facilitator, outlined the urgency behind the effort, noting that college attainment rates in Chula Vista stand at 33% — below the county average of 45% — and that some South Bay communities have attainment rates as low as 13%. She also cited an estimated 7,000 unfilled jobs in the region that require a college degree.
“It is no exaggeration that we’re at a very challenging moment in history,” Garcia said.
The task force is scheduled to meet four times through February 2027, with subsequent sessions focused on governance, financing and a first draft of recommendations. A final report is due to the California Legislature by July 1, 2027.
Friday’s meeting was followed by a lease signing ceremony at City Hall between the City of Chula Vista and San Diego State University with Mayor John McCann presiding over the signing, formalizing a 10-year agreement to bring SDSU’s hybrid nursing program to the city’s new Millenia Library. The program is expected to launch in fall 2026 with 50 student seats, pending approval by the California Board of Registered Nursing.
The task force’s next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 28 at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center.
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