Gavilan Community College is expanding its University Center at
Hollister with two business classes from California State
University at Monterey Bay.
One of only two University Centers in the state, the classes are
offered at Gavilan’s Hollister location at the Briggs Building to
students enrolled at CSUMB or Gavilan. The University Center allows
local residents to take classes toward their bachelor’s degree
without driving to Monterey, said Jan Bernstein Chargin, director
of public relations at Gavilan.
Gavilan Community College is expanding its University Center at Hollister with two business classes from California State University at Monterey Bay.
One of only two University Centers in the state, the classes are offered at Gavilan’s Hollister location at the Briggs Building to students enrolled at CSUMB or Gavilan. The University Center allows local residents to take classes toward their bachelor’s degree without driving to Monterey, said Jan Bernstein Chargin, director of public relations at Gavilan.
“This brings the entire business major into Hollister without traveling to Monterey,” Chargin said. “It’s wonderful for people in Hollister to eliminate that commute.”
Even students who are eligible for transfer to a university may not continue their studies because of the required travel, Chargin said.
The classes being offered spring semester are BUS 305: Principles of Management and BUS 300: Major Pro-seminar. Spring semester starts Jan. 26, but interested students need to contact a counselor to verify eligibility. Additional courses will be offered in the fall.
Eventually, students can complete their bachelor’s degree in business administration through the Hollister classes.
“It’s great to open up possibilities for a bachelor’s to a whole new set of people who didn’t have that before,” Chargin said.
Students who will most benefit from the University Center are those who work, have families or don’t have their own car to commute to Monterey.
Cost varies depending on whether the student is already enrolled at CSUMB or is seeking open enrollment, where they pay based on the number of units they’re taking. Open enrollment is $125 per unit. BUS 305 is three units and BUS 300 is two.
All students enrolling in BUS 305 will meet at CSUMB on Tuesday, Jan. 27, from 10 a.m. to noon or 4 to 6 p.m. to discuss the course structure, meet their teammates and the instructor and learn how to use CSUMB’s Web-based course software. Afterwards, students will work individually on the Internet, in small study groups and in teams of six to 12.
The Hollister team will meet at the Briggs site five times during the semester – twice with the instructor; once with other CSUMB faculty, including the chair of the School of Business, to learn more about the overall degree program and prepare “Learning Plans” to complete their degree; and once each for the midterm and final examination. All meetings will take place Tuesdays from 4 to 6 p.m. in Room 1 at the Briggs center.
“This makes it possible for people to integrate a bachelor’s degree into their lives. Getting a bachelor’s degree increases a person’s additional lifetime benefits by 45 percent,” Chargin said.
Gavilan’s University Center started in the fall with one class offered by San Jose State University. For the spring semester, SJSU will be expanding their offerings to three upper-division classes at Gavilan College in Gilroy – CHAD 102: Development of Self in a Culturally Diverse Society, EDUC 157: Community Action and SOCS 177: Society and Education. Each class meets one afternoon per week.
The SJSU classes are open to students who are enrolled at SJSU. In addition, students who are enrolled in at least six units at Gavilan College may cross-enroll for one SJSU class by completing an application and paying a $10 cross-enrollment fee.
Students interested should call Juan Garcia, CSUMB’s Hollister Outreach Counselor, at 831-582-3045 or Judy Rodriguez, Gavilan College’s Hollister site manager, at 831-636-3783.
For more information about the CSUMB class, contact Sandy Hale, chair of the School of Business at CSUMB, at [email protected]. For more information about the SJSU classes, contact Marlene Bumgarner at 408-848-4805.
