Arizona State University’s online degree partnership with Southwestern College in Chula Vista offers students the flexible and affordable opportunities for higher education that the community has been seeking for over three decades.
The online degree program is called ASU Local and has made over 160 bachelor’s degree programs available to Southwestern College graduates and transfer students since 2024.
The president of Southwestern College, Mark Sanchez, said community leaders in Chula Vista have been trying to bring a university presence to South County since the 1990s.
Many of Southwestern’s students are place-bound, he explained, meaning that a person seeking an associate’s degree or higher would need a local option.
Sanchez said many of his students take public transportation, and students from communities like San Ysidro and Otay Mesa, close to the border, can spend up to two hours commuting to campus.
ASU Local offers a viable alternative.
“Southwestern College is currently the only post-secondary higher education institution in South County,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez said he also appreciates how the partnership with a higher profile institution like ASU helps destigmatize the idea of community college.
“What it’s showing is that Southwestern College is a serious university-transfer institution that has the partnerships that create pathways for students,” he said.
The Chula Vista branch of ASU Local aims to focus on preparing students for work in rapidly emerging industries and to fill gaps in the Chula Vista workforce, specifically in healthcare and teaching, Sanchez said.
One such emerging opportunity is the Gaylord Pacific Resort and Convention Center, which is expected to open in May with a need to fill over 800 positions in guest services, hotel operations and at the resort’s 12 restaurants and bars, among others.
Sanchez said many of Southwestern’s graduating culinary students are preparing to compete for these local jobs.
While the classes are offered online, ASU Local has staff members on site to assist students from enrollment through graduation.
San Diego native Maria Rodriguez is an on-site director for the program and helps students with community and resume building, networking and providing guidance during weekly one-on-one meetings.
Rodriguez said the ASU Local staff molds their support around the needs of their students and the community.
“I think what I’ve learned so far is that students love the community here, and I have to say that myself too,” she said.
Many participants are first-generation college students and have financial needs, Rodriguez said, and the online format is convenient for those who may work full time or support their families.
ASU Local currently operates in six locations, three of them in California.
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