Introduction
Southwestern Community College District is the premier and only public institution of higher education in Southern San Diego County. Since its founding, Southwestern College has served a diverse community of students right alongside the San Diego-Tijuana border through a wide range of high-quality academic programs, comprehensive student services and visionary partnerships.
When our work together began, Southwestern College was grappling with a post-COVID world that not only saw declining enrollment rates but a massive change in leadership. In addition, the communications department continued to be beset by many, and often conflicting, demands for media support from other departments and campuses for their events.
Our Objectives
After supporting the communications department at Southwestern College to develop a yearlong strategic plan, we lead the development of two programs:
- A pilot program to increase capacity within the department. Working with the Communications Department and the college’s Student Services Department, we embarked on a yearlong process to develop a self-help service model with the ultimate goal of increasing efficiency, maintaining brand consistency and encouraging self-sufficiency from different departments across Southwestern College.
- A yearslong media relations campaign that sought to:
- Retain and re-engage students that did not enroll due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these students cited challenges, including financial hardship.
- Grow support for Southwestern College’s visionary plans to expand access to higher-education, including dual-enrollment programs, partnering with universities to bring bachelor’s degrees to Southwestern’s campuses, and advocating for legislation that would make it simpler for binational students to afford tuition at local community colleges
The Outcome
Along with establishing tools that allowed the Communications Department to better support Southwestern College’s communications needs, our partnership with Southwestern College ensured coverage across national and statewide media outlets. This growing awareness not only brought enrollment rates above pre-pandemic levels but helped Southwestern College deepen its relationships with local universities, policymakers and the surrounding community.
Soon, students who attend Southwestern College will be able to earn their Bachelor’s Degrees at the same time they earn their Associate’s Degree. Students who live across the border in Mexico, thanks to AB 91, which was championed by Southwestern College, will be able to attend campus at in-state tuition rates. And Southwestern College will, in the meantime, continue to stimulate the growth of the South County region through programs and partnerships that meet the region’s economic and workforce demands.
