Growth and expansion have been constants for South Valley for
the past century. And every step of the way, Gavilan College has
grown with the region
– in its size, in the breadth of its class offerings, and in the
sophistication of its facilities and courses of study.
Growth and expansion have been constants for South Valley for the past century. And every step of the way, Gavilan College has grown with the region – in its size, in the breadth of its class offerings, and in the sophistication of its facilities and courses of study.
Throughout its history, the college has bound together the people who live in the valley. It has allowed residents to meet new people, bridge gaps through a common identity and receive an education without leaving the area where their family has lived for generations.
The way it was
Gavilan College was not always a regional tie – it started in 1919 as a school for the south end of the valley under the name San Benito County Junior College. Yet, the idea of serving a larger area with residents in need of education and the support of South Valley residents in the form of a bond changed the college’s role.
In the mid-’60s, school districts in Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Benito joined together to form the Gavilan Joint Community College District.
“It certainly showed three communities coming together to really plan for the future of all three and provide opportunities for their residents,” said Jan Bernstein-Chargin, Gavilan’s public information officer. “Without a college in this area, residents would have to forgo education or go somewhere else.”
In 1966, voters approved a bond to fund construction of a campus in Gilroy. While that campus was being built in 1967 and 1968, classes were held at the Hollister Municipal Airport.
Times are a-changing
Gavilan’s attendance and course offerings grew fairly steadily during the two decades following the establishment of the main campus in Gilroy. In the early ’90s, a sudden surge in enrollment and clamor for more classes at the satellite campuses in Morgan Hill and Hollister refocused the college on expanding opportunities for residents of its entire 2,700-square-mile service area.
“Our responsibility is to make sure that if people are not able to get to the Gilroy campus, we make sure to get to them,” Gavilan President Steve Kinsella said.
While the majority of Gavilan’s students – 4,136 – take classes at the Gilroy campus, 948 students take classes on the Hollister campus and an additional 968 students take classes at the Morgan Hill campus.
Integral to serving the college’s entire service area this was the passage of another bond – Measure E – which voters approved in 2004. The bond provided $108 million for the college to renovate its main campus and secure land in Hollister and Coyote Valley just north of Morgan Hill.
This is a response “to the City of San Jose’s plan to put 75,000 people in the northern part of our service area,” Kinsella said, referring to a 25,000-home development project that would not be complete for at least 30 years.
If the development was built to this size, Gavilan College would eventually serve 10,000 full-time students and host 505 employees, including faculty and staff, on a campus of 55 acres. However, some developers have recently backed out of the project, leaving in question the end size of the development and how quickly it will be completed.
Further south in Hollister, the college wants to broaden its course offerings, which could be done in stages depending on availability of funds, Kinsella said.
“Once we have the property” – which Kinsella expects will be in May – “we have to see how much money we have left over,” he said. Although there are plans for a “full college campus,” Hollister will “start as an educational center” and expand to two to three times that size.
The expansion will be welcome to students like 18-year-old Amanda Avila of Hollister, who travels up to the Gilroy campus several times each week for classes in the second year of a registered nursing program.
“Each city has it’s own thing,” she said, pointing to the registered nursing program in Gilroy and the aviation program in Hollister. “If they would offer more classes in Hollister, that would be great.”
Facing the future
As Gavilan continues to expand and offer more at its satellite campuses, it will continue to try to mix residents of the South Valley.
“Even as we grow to a three-campus district, it will still be joining the community because students will still have the opportunity to take classes at other campuses,” Bernstein-Chargin said. “They probably won’t be duplicates of each other.”
Just the simple gathering of students from different areas on one campus is enough to forge connections, she said.
“They get here and they realize there are other cities in my region,” Bernstein-Chargin said. “They meet people from 30 miles away. They take classes in those other cities. They form a network throughout the South Valley.”
Hollister native and 37-year-old art student Roy Darr remembers a time when there was more hostility than amity among South Valley residents.
“When I was growing up, there was always some tension between Hollister and Gilroy – the youth,” he said.
Children used to have disparaging nicknames for student from the other cities and they would not even travel to the other cities on weekends.
“Times have changed and people have opened up their eyes,” Darr said. “We (at the college) have students who live in Morgan Hill, Gilroy and Hollister, so right there you’re bringing people together on one campus. I don’t feel any tension here.”
In addition to bringing residents together, Gavilan also helps those who are not students to thrive. By providing training for specific jobs, the college creates a base of skilled labor that encourages companies to move into the area, Kinsella said. This creates jobs for the students, but also for other residents who might act as support staff at these companies.
Gavilan is also a major employer providing about 450 high-paying jobs, Kinsella said. In addition to hiring instructors to teach classes, the college also needs computer technicians, security guards, custodians and support staff.
Perhaps as important, the college is also an ambassador of culture, Darr said. The constant rotation of art projects, theater productions and music performances-many of which involve students-help keep the South Valley vibrant. This vibrancy is something that not only helps residents expand their vision, but also bond.
“Nothing brings life to a town like a college,” he said.
Profile in education
Full time students in 2005-06: 4494
Grew seven of last eight academic years with total growth of 25 percent
Median age: 24 years old
About 60 percent female, 40 percent male
About 24 percent speak a primary language other than English at home
Top majors
ESL (452 students)
Administration of justice (441 students)
Registered nursing (301 students)
Liberal arts and sciences (161 students)
Business management (141 students)
Q & A with Gavilan College President Steve Kinsella
Q: What is the biggest challenge the college is facing?
A: The biggest challenge facing the college today is the shortage of facilities to meet the extraordinary increase in student enrollment that stated last year and has continued again in this academic year. Last year enrollment surged by 13 percent. This year the college is experiencing another double-digit enrollment growth. This unprecedented growth in two consecutive years has resulted in instructional facilities reaching full capacity. Instead of the normal 3 percent annual growth which typically occurs, this sudden onslaught of students happened so fast that it is a major challenge to obtain additional facilities to accommodate continued increases. The college is now trying to accelerate development of a campus in San Benito County and in Coyote Valley.
Q: What is likely to be the biggest asset in the coming years?
A: Without question the biggest asset of Gavilan is the dedicated faculty, professional support staff and administrators who have dedicated their lives to helping students achieve their college goals. The faculty witness student performance on a daily basis. The faculty use the knowledge gained through interaction with students to modify instructional methodologies and develop support services in order to improve student learning. At the core of every decision is how the decision is going to improve student learning. Everyone at the college is focused on helping students become successful in the pursuit of their educational goals.
Q: What role will Gavilan play in connecting South Valley with Silicon Valley?
A: Gavilan has a unique role in that it is a regional educational provider. The college has the benefit of seeing the similarities and differences in each community within its service area. This knowledge will be used to tailor educational programs to meet the individual needs of residents and businesses in Coyote Valley and Morgan Hill. It is expected that the Coyote Valley campus will offer more high technology or manufacturing technology career technical programs than what is current available from Gavilan. The site will also offer residents the option of receiving the first two years of a bachelor’s degree program close to home. We hope this will prevent students from traveling to Silicon Valley for educational programs they can receive close to home.
All parts of the college’s service area will benefit from the additional offerings provided in Coyote Valley. Many of our service area residents work in the Silicon Valley. Gavilan wants to be considered an asset to businesses as they consider maintaining an existing presence in our service area of if they are considering a move to the area. All employers need trained workers. We want to meet the employers’ expectations so they can rely on Gavilan to provide them with a pool of qualified job applicants.
Q: Is there a demographic the college especially wants to reach out to?
A: Gavilan constantly looks for segments of our resident population to determine if there are educational offerings that we need to provide in order to ensure all residents have access to a college education. Over the past few years we have been working to establish courses for residents who need to master the English language in order for them to obtain a college education. A second area of emphasis recently has been to develop noncredit, below college level courses that are offered free of charge to offer students the additional preparation they may need to bring them up to college level course work before attending the core academic programs. The courses are intended to be a pathway to a college education. The third area of concentration is on Morgan Hill residents. In reviewing the residency of students who attend Gavilan we can see that Morgan Hill is the area that is not taking advantage of the college’s programs. Nearly 50 percent of all community college students who reside in Morgan Hill are taking courses at colleges in the Silicon Valley area. When the Coyote Valley campus is open we hope that Morgan Hill students will take advantage of that new location.
Q: How will having a dorm and teacher housing change the college?
A: Many of our students attend class part time and work either part time or full time in order to make ends meet. Having a low cost housing option available to students will serve two major objectives. First, students who receive low cost housing may take a higher course load and therefore complete their educational goals quicker than if they have to work while attending college. Student success and retention improves when students are able to dedicate their efforts to their studies. Second, housing will allow the college to market itself as a destination. The beauty of the campus and Gavilan’s high quality programs are an attraction to parents and students who want to experience the university lifestyle in a safe environment closer to home.
The cost of housing is an important factor when potential faculty, staff and administrators assess whether or not they should apply for a job at Gavilan. With national recruitment when hiring faculty, Gavilan needs the ability to attract the best possible candidates. Currently, we see very few applicants who live out of the area or out of state. On-campus housing will provide the college with the opportunity to enhance job offers as necessary to bring in the best qualified applicants from across the state and the nation.
Q: Would it like to include residential facilities at all three campuses?
A: No decision has been made about whether or not to include housing in each of the three campus sites. The Gilroy site is equidistant to Hollister and Coyote Valley. Currently only the Gilroy campus has been identified as a site that could benefit from residential housing.
Q: With a resurgence in technical training at the high school level, how must Gavilan adapt to the changing needs and abilities of students? Also, can Gavilan play a role in training students still in high school?
A: Gavilan has always offered career technical training. The most prominent and demanded programs include nursing, cosmetology, aviation mechanic and law enforcement officer training. The college is reviewing opportunities to determine what additional career technical programs may be appropriate for our service area. Gavilan is working with local high schools to provide students with the option of obtaining college courses prior to completing high school. These courses would allow students to get a head start on college work and will reduce their costs for the cost of a college education. These courses are offered free of charge. So far this program has had limited success. The most successful connection with high school students has been as a result of the college’s partnership with Gilroy Unified School District. The Dr. T. J. Owens, Gilroy Early College Academy allows students to complete up to 30 college credits prior to graduating high school. This program is not for all students but students who want an early start on college level work can greatly benefit from this program. In combination with other college course work offered at the high schools we hope that those students who want an early start on college will have a cost effective option available through one of Gavilan’s programs.
Q: Will the aviation program change locations and how will this affect the program?
A: There have been a lot of comments made about the aviation program in recent months. While the college has talked about possible permanent locations for the aviation program all of the potential sites were located in San Benito County. There were internal discussions about other locations outside San Benito but there was no follow up beyond an initial brainstorming session. The Board of Trustees has not been asked to consider a change in the location of the aviation mechanic program.
Q: What sort of demographic changes is the college expecting and how is it preparing for them?
A: The largest change in the demographic expected in South Valley is expansion of residents with an age of 55 years and older. This aging Baby Boomer population is expanding throughout the state. As this generation ages studies indicate that many want to remain active in retirement. The college created an older adults program that is designed for students age 55 and older. The courses are aligned to meet the needs of lifelong learners and include such topics as Internet literacy, music, movement, health, film classics and other topics to keep the mind and the body active as residents grow older.
The other significant change is the continuing increase in residents who are not proficient in English. These residents may be new immigrants or may have grown up in a family where English was not spoken or was not a prominent language. In order for students to be successful in college course work taught in English, students must gain proficiency in this language. Gavilan offers free noncredit courses in English as a Second Language as well as credit level courses in ESL. In combination these series of courses will allow students access to all college programs.
Q: Are there any new programs on the horizon? How will these change the character of the college?
A: The newest series of courses are the basic skill level non-credit courses. These courses will create greater opportunities for residents to access a college education. Other areas that are still areas of focus are biotechnology and construction trades. The biotechnology program has been available for about a year now. Enrollment is relatively low. As more graduates find employment in this field we expect to see greater interest in the program. A construction trades program is being considered. The college is also researching other career technical programs and apprenticeship programs to determine the best way to offer more career technical training programs for businesses and students within our service area.
Three places to learn
Main Campus – Gilroy
5055 Santa Teresa Blvd., Gilroy
(408)-848-4800
(831) 637-1158 when calling from Hollister (toll free)
(408) 848-4750 evening Office
Hollister – Briggs Building
365 Fourth St., Hollister
(831) 636-3783
Morgan Hill – Community and Cultural Center
17060 Monterey Road, Morgan Hill
(408) 782-2873
Aviation Program – Hollister Airport
490 Skylane Drive, Hollister
(831) 637-1151
Admissions and Records Office (SC111) (408) 848-4735 or (408) 846-4954
Para ayuda en Espanol contacta Monica Quiroz-Rivera at (408) 846 4992 or mq*****@ga*****.edu
