MiraCosta College Celebrates 90 Years of Excellence and Community Service

By Kristen Gonzales

MiraCosta College is excited to commemorate its 90th Anniversary in 2024. The college has provided diverse educational opportunities to the vibrant North Coastal San Diego County community for nearly a century. We look forward to celebrating our enduring commitment to educational opportunity and community enrichment with our community partners, supporters, donors, alumni, faculty, and students.

Since 1934, MiraCosta College has been transforming lives. As we celebrate our 90th year, we honor the legacy of those who came before us and pledge to continue providing transformative education and opportunities for all. Our commitment to excellence, equity, access, and inclusion remains unwavering as we look forward to shaping the future of education in our community and beyond.

MiraCosta College includes four campuses: the Oceanside Campus, the San Elijo Campus in Cardiff, the Community Learning Center, and the Technology Career Institute in Carlsbad. Each of these campuses reflects our mission to provide various educational pathways. Serving almost 27,000 credit, noncredit, and fee-based students annually, MiraCosta is designated a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and a military-supportive institution.

MiraCosta offers associate degrees, university transfer programs, and workforce readiness certificates and is one of the original 15 California community colleges to offer a bachelor’s degree. The innovative programs and forward-thinking curriculum ensure that students are well-prepared for the evolving demands of the workforce and higher education.

1934 Oceanside-Carlsbad Junior College (O-CJC) opened in a wing at Oceanside High School with 20 faculty members and approximately 120 students.

The 90th Anniversary Celebration will showcase the completion of various construction projects, including the new Kinesiology, Health and Nutrition building, Gymnasium, the Student Services building, Library and Learning Commons, and the Nursing Simulation Labs, funded by the Measure MM $455 million bond. These state-of-the-art facilities are not just physical structures but symbols of our promise to provide an accessible, high-quality education that meets the evolving needs of our community.

MiraCosta College is excited to host events to mark our 90th birthday. A ribbon-cutting event in February for the new Kinesiology, Health, and Nutrition Building at the Oceanside campus was held. On August 22, we will celebrate the Theresia M. Heyden Hall for Nursing and Allied Health ribbon-cutting. These events are just part of the many capital improvement projects we’ve invested in, which will be completed as part of the Measure MM $455 million bond to deliver state-ofthe-art spaces for learning and prepare students for lifelong success in a rapidly changing world.

As MiraCosta College celebrates this momentous year, they reflect on our journey from humble beginnings in a wing at Oceanside High School to becoming an educational, cultural, and community hub. We started as a “junior college” providing students opportunities to bridge high school and university. Today,

MiraCosta College’s comprehensive programs and services include over 80 associate degrees and certificates, university transfer, workforce and economic development programs, and a bachelor’s degree. Thoughtfully designed programs also accommodate the unique challenges of adult learners, individuals differently abled, those preparing for new careers, senior citizens, and non-native English speakers.

Our role in promoting regional growth and economic development is exemplified through our North San Diego Small Business Development Center and South California Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC). These centers support local businesses and veterans, fostering regional growth and economic development. Our efforts have led to national recognition, including being designated as a national Achieving the Dream Leader College and being named among the top 20 semifinalists for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. Approximately 90 percent of our alumni remain within our community, contributing to the local economy and society. The greatest reward is our students’ accomplishments,

1941 In response to the war, MiraCosta College added a summer session so that students could finish their studies in a shorter period, and women began taking courses that were previously unavailable to them, such as welding classes. In 1941 O-CJC graduate Eleanor (King) Hagen’s photograph was featured on the cover of Newsweek.

1959 Homecoming queen Irene Horvath turned the nation’s eyes on the college. Newspapers, magazines, and even television cameras captured shots of the 72-year-old queen.