137
AGENDA ITEM BACKGROUND
TO:
GOVERNING BOARD
FROM:
PRESIDENT
DATE:
Sept. 17, 2012
SUBJECT:
Watsonville Center Annual Report
REASON FOR BOARD CONSIDERATION
ITEM NUMBER
INFORMATION
D.4
ENCLOSURE(S)
Page 1 of 2
BACKGROUND
The Watsonville Center makes higher education available in a community that is highly diverse and
economically depressed, where 31% of the population between 18-24 years old has less than a high
school education and the average unemployment rate is 25%, more than double the county-wide level.
The Latino population in the City of Watsonville is over 81% and over 94% in the adjacent community of
Pajaro. The Solari Green Technology Center (SGTC) will open this month and provide expanded
options to students in career technical education, with a focus on new sustainable technologies. Just
over 2,000 students enrolled at the Center in spring 2012, with over 40% taking classes exclusively on
site and 77% coming from the local community.
The Watsonville Center also serves as a resource for other educational options for the community by
housing Watsonville/Aptos Adult Education (WAAE) and SOS (Second Opportunity for Students), an
alternative education program with the County Office of Education. These two programs align with the
college mission by preparing students to succeed in college and education beyond high school, and
both enroll students from the Watsonville community who are traditionally underserved in higher
education. The leased space also provides valuable revenue to the college.
Instruction and educational support services
Of the 135 courses offered at the Watsonville Center in spring 2012, 59 (43.7%) fulfilled general
education requirements for transfer, 47 (34.8%) were one level below transfer and 29 (21.4%) were two
levels below transfer. 21 courses (15.5%) fulfilled requirements for certificates in Career Technical
Education fields (Accounting, Computer Applications & Business Technology, Criminal Justice, Culinary
Arts & Hospitality Management, Early Childhood Education, Fire Technology and Medical Assistant). In
addition, students may fulfill all requirements for the Liberal Arts and Sciences Associate of Arts
degrees with courses in Watsonville.
An open-access computer lab provides online resources, and all classrooms are equipped with
multimedia equipment and Internet access. The Learning Communities Center has a Watsonville office
where students can find out about the various learning communities available at the college, and the
ACE (Academy for College Excellence) learning community offers cohort options each year at the
Watsonville Center. The Integrated Learning Center (ILC) provides tutoring and instructional support in
many subject areas, including dedicated Supplemental Instruction sessions for math students and
individualized courses in reading. ILC students also have access to library services and resources,
proctored exams, quiet study areas and computers.
(Continued)
Administrator Initiating Item:
Rachel Mayo, Dean Education Centers
Kathie Welch, Dean, HAWK
Wanda Garner, Dean, NAS
Academic and Professional Matter
If yes, Faculty Senate Agreement
Senate President Signature
 Yes  No
 Yes  No
Final Disposition
138
Student Services
Watsonville Center students have access to admissions/registration services, counseling, financial aid,
health services, and student activities such as clubs, student senate events and student activity cards.
Admissions and Records and Financial Aid are now under the umbrella of Enrollment Services, so
students now go to one place for both of these departments. Counseling and Health Services are on
the same floor as Enrollment Services in Building A, so it is essentially a one-stop location for student
services. While the information provided is the same at both the Center and the Aptos campus, there
are some differences in delivery to accommodate differences in the student population. For example,
the hours of operation extend to 6:00 p.m. in Watsonville to better serve the larger evening population,
and all support is provided in Spanish as well as English. Extra support is also available for the online
processes for application, registration and applying for financial aid.
Overview of enrollment patterns
The following table shows that although the Watsonville Center enrollment is shrinking along with the
general college population, some percentages of particular groups are growing. For example, a higher
percentage of students enroll full-time college-wide, although the overall number of full-time students is
lower as compared to last spring.
WATSONVILLE CENTER ENROLLMENT AND SELECTED DEMOGRAPHICS
SPRING 2011 – SPRING 2012 CENSUS*
Enrollment (unduplicated)
FTES
Hispanic/Latino
White
Concurrent High School
Concurrent Adult School
Completed BA or higher
High school grad
First time students
Continuing students
Watsonville classes only
Watsonville and online classes
Watsonville and Aptos classes
Day classes
Evening classes
Both day & evening classes
Enrolled full time, Watsonville classes only
Enrolled full time, college-wide classes
SPRING 2011
2,232
(15.8% of college)
413.62
1,746 (78.2%)
333 (14.9%)
39
(1.7%)
36
(1.6%)
76
(3.4%)
1,418 (63.5%)
217 (9.7%)
1,523 (68.2%)
917 (41.1%)
80
(3.6%)
978 (43.8%)
578 (25.9%)
606 (27.2%)
1,006 (45.1%)
99
(4.5%)
677 (30.3%)
SPRING 2012
1,997
(14.6%/college)
399.91
1,654 (82.8%)
227
(11.4%)
49
(2.5%)
29
(1.5%)
68
(3.4%
1,257 (62.9%)
156 (7.8%)
1,370 (68.6%)
821 (41.1%)
79
(4%)
886 (44.4%)
488 (24.4%)
614 (30.7%)
870 (43.6%)
83
(4.2%)
621 (31.1%)
CHANGE
-235 (-10.5%)
-14.01 (-3.3%)
-92 (+4.6%)
-106 (-3.5%)
+10 (+0.8%)
-7
(-0.1%)
-8 (0 % change)
-161 (-0.6%)
-61
(-1.9%)
-153 (+0.4%)
-96 (0 % change)
-1
(+0.4%)
-92 (+0.6%)
-90 (+1.5%_
+8
(+3.5%)
-136 (-1.5%)
-15 (-0.3%)
-56 (+0.8%)
* End of semester enrollment is slightly higher: 2,109 for spring 2012. FTES is the end of semester count.
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