Student Success & Equity Department | San Diego Mesa College

Student Success & Equity

San Diego Mesa College is committed to becoming the leading college of equity and excellence. We have aligned our Educational Master, Student Success, Title V, and Student Equity plans to ensure that our movement to close achievement gaps in access and success for underrepresented student groups is intentional, institutional, transformational, and rooted in access to equitable outcomes for all of our students.

How Do We Define Equity?

Expanded Definition:
At San Diego Mesa College, equity is a fundamental value and goal. We will know we have achieved equity when we see parity in outcomes across racial/ethnic student groups and all student groups that have been historically marginalized within higher education. Our commitment to equity requires that minoritized students have access and support across all campus systems, from application to completion. We aim for equity in access and opportunities for all.

At Mesa, equity is student-centered. Our professional community respects students and their contributions, listens to students, and responds to students’ different needs without stereotyping. We aim to provide opportunity to all students regardless of their educational goals. We are here to set students up for success and we acknowledge all the different facets of our students’ identities.

We pursue equity through a culture of inquiry and data-informed decision making in the classroom and across campus areas. We are working to approach difficult conversations about systems of oppression with skill and humility. Mesa is committed to developing interventions based upon robust data collection and following through on our new ideas with inquiry into the success of their implementation. We aspire to work within integrated and equity-minded systems to ensure that everyone has what they need to succeed during their time at Mesa College.

Brief Definition:
At Mesa, equity is a student-centered approach to fostering a culture of success for historically marginalized students. In our roles as faculty members, student services practitioners, staff, and administrators, we pursue equity through principles of inquiry and data-informed decision making. We will achieve equity when we see parity in outcomes across racial/ethnic groups and all disproportionately impacted groups within higher education. We work within integrated and equity-minded systems to ensure that everyone has what they need to succeed during their time at Mesa College.

Moving The Needle

As the "Leading College of Equity and Excellence" we are committed to doing all that we can to assist out students in meeting their basic needs.

In 2017/18, the office of Student Success and Equity(SSE) served students by connecting them to the books, supplies, transportations, food, clothing, people, and authentic care all students require to show up engaged and ready to succeed.

Students Assessed: 196

Students Who Received Direct Support: 146

Books: $11,625 (55% of all direct support)

Food: $5800 (28% of all direct support)

Transportation: $1278 (6% of all direct support)

18,853 items of food were given to 894 students

214 students were provided with 1,995 items of clothing