Grossmont, Cuyamaca Colleges Offering More Classes This Summer

Students signing up for summer session classes at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges have more than three times the number of sections to choose from compared to last year, thanks to voters who passed a statewide tax measure last fall increasing education funding.

With more than 250 sections to select from at the two East County  colleges compared to just 74 last summer, students will have greater certainty of getting the classes they need  to graduate, transfer to a university or to make career advances. However, the fuller summer schedule is still a long way from the college district’s offerings of nearly 700 summer course sections in 2008, before state budget cuts whittled down the summer program. 

“This is the best we’ve seen in four years, when the state budget crunch really started hammering us,” Governing Board President Bill Garrett said. “We still are far short of where we were at our peak in 2008, but this summer, we’re opening our doors wide. We’re excited to welcome back those students who have been turned away because of a shortage of classes.”

Registration begins April 29 for the six- and eight-week classes starting June 10. 

November’s passage of the statewide tax measure, Proposition 30, prevented further catastrophic budget cuts to education and allowed the colleges to increase their course offerings. Between 2008 and 2012, state funding to the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District was slashed by $16 million, requiring the two colleges to eliminate 1,600 classes. Thousands of students were placed on waiting lists and unable to obtain the courses they needed for their education.

 Robust summer schedules

Summer classes are a great way for students to enroll in hard-to-get prerequisite classes like Principles of Biology or Intermediate Algebra or those quick to fill in the fall, including Astronomy. Many students also appreciate the luxury of focusing on one course, instead of several courses during a semester.

Both colleges are offering several sections of general education classes in history, biology, chemistry, sociology, math, music and psychology.

Grossmont College is also offering a wide range of specialized classes: administration of justice courses in criminal law; a culinary arts class in pastry skills in chocolate preparation, a business office technology course in effective job searching; and a selection of health professions classes, including those in nursing, occupational therapy assistant, orthopedic technology and cardiovascular technology.

At Cuyamaca College, students can enroll in career-technical education classes in automotive technology, computer and information science, environmental health and safety, and ornamental horticulture.

 Students can register by going to WebAdvisor on the college websites, www.grossmont.edu and www.cuyamaca.edu , where summer class schedules are posted. Classes cost $46 per credit unit.

The Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District educates and trains about 27,000 students at Grossmont College in El Cajon and Cuyamaca College in Rancho San Diego. For more information about the college district, go to www.gcccd.edu