San José/Evergreen Community College District—We Have a Place for You!

When it is time to decide upon a community college to continue your postsecondary education, it’s hard to know which campus will have what you need. Of course you will pick a college that has what you need academically, whether those needs are lower-division transfer classes, vocational training or even classes for personal enrichment. But there are other things that will make your college experience a good one—and although you can learn about most of these programs by reading our college catalog, admittedly few people do just that. The San José/Evergreen Community College District has many programs in place that are designed to ensure student success—and we encourage prospective and current students to check them out.

It is easy to look at the big overall picture that is the California Community College system and become somewhat intimidated and lost, especially when deciding which campus to attend. With 109 colleges in 72 districts, the system is obviously very diverse—so what makes the San José/Evergreen Community College District’s two campuses, San José City College and Evergreen Valley College, among the cream of the crop, state - and region - wide? What do we do so well to make a difference for our nearly 25,000 students?

Of course our primary mission at the District is meeting the educational needs of our community—whether those needs are transfer classes (EVC and SJCC), honors classes (EVC and SJCC), classes to update or refine existing skills, classes to learn English, or provide job training for an entirely new career. But there are so many other good things going on below the surface beyond our students attending classes, and a great deal of that information can be found by visiting with a counselor at Evergreen Valley College or San José City College.

Many programs are already in place at both campuses to help underprepared students to learn and succeed academically—something they may have never done in their school career. Programs such as FasTrack, which is designed to help first-generation, low-income or disabled students obtain their two-year degree or transfer to a four-year university, and the AFFIRM, ASPIRE, Enlace and Puente programs reach out to underserved students to ensure success not only at our campuses, but into the remainder of their academic careers.

There are also excellent, well-established programs for disabled students as well as English learners. Both campuses have Disabled Student Programs ( EVC and SJCC) that aid students with disabilities ranging from physical challenges to dyslexia. San José City College is home to a Reading and Writing Center that provides individualized attention to students needing assistance in all areas of writing, and both campuses are home to a peer writing tutor program that gives students the opportunity to learn from the best student-writers on campus . EVC and SJCC also are home to state-of-the-art English as a Second Language programs and labs.

The SJECCD also offers many programs that provide financial assistance for many groups of students in many different situations. The Extended Opportunity Programs & Services (EOPS ) is a well-established, successful program that provides student support services to low-income members of the community at both Evergreen Valley College and at San José City College. CalWorks is another successful program that provides financial and academic assistance to students receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) (formerly Aid for Families with Dependent Children). Workforce Initiative Network ( WIN ) is home to many programs that benefit both our students as well as the community, including AmeriCorps learning disability assessments for welfare-to-work clients, and Foster CARE/Independent Living, which provides education for would-be foster parents in Santa Clara County.

Both campuses ( EVC and SJCC ) also house financial aid offices that are staffed with people who can help students through the process of filling out FAFSA ( Free Application for Federal Student Aid) forms. Additionally, both campuses ( EVC and SJCC) offer an array of both need- and merit-based scholarships, including Grove Foundation Scholarships, Robert N. Chang Charitable Foundation Scholarships for SJCC students, and the Thelma and Henry Whitlow Memorial Scholarship, named for former EVC President Dr. H. Clay Whitlow, and many more.

There are also opportunities for students to make a difference in the community through the Service Learning program at EVC and SJCC, and at SJCC, Project SHINE (Students Helping in the Naturalization of Elders). Both are more than volunteer programs—students apply what they are learning in their coursework and making real-world applications of that knowledge.

We haven’t forgotten about the need to provide classes that are not on campus for the benefit of our community. San José City College’s CO-NECT program is a joint program with the San José Unified School District that offers college-level classes on high school campuses. Both EVC and SJCC also offer a selection of Distance Learning Classes using various methods of instruction, including teleconference, video, television and the Internet.

Our District is most proud of the ability to quickly tailor workforce programs to the needs of local industry as well as current and potential employees who are looking to upgrade or start new careers. Not every job in the Silicon Valley requires a four-year degree for success or employability. Both of our campuses have many fine and in-demand career programs in place.