| Demographics |
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1. The Watsonville Center enrollment has grown by approximately 5% each year. Projections have shown that the Watsonville Center enrollment will be at 2,360 in 2003, with a growth of another 115 students in 2004, and up to a total enrollment of 3,295 in 2010. (Fact Book 2002, p.6) 2. The highest rate of enrollment increase projected through 2012 will be for the Asian/Filipino/Pacific Islander population, which will nearly triple. (Fact Book 2002, p.6) 3. The Hispanic student population will remain the majority. (Fact Book 2002, p.6) 4. There will be more young people [potential student base] in the
Watsonville area, compared to the rest of the county. ("Profile
of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000, Geographic area:
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, Census 2000," U.S. Census Bureau;
Family and Children Stats as of 2000, ERSys.com)
5. Approximately 50% of students at the Watsonville Center are the first in their family to attend college. (Watsonville Center Student Survey, Fall 2002) 6. Approximately 40% of Watsonville Center students work full time and 95% of them are part time students. (Watsonville Center Student Survey, Fall 2002) 7. Of all media venues, television appears to be the most effective medium, and Channel 67 reaches more Watsonville Spanish-speaking residents than any other television station. (Cabrillo College Marketing and Communications Office; Meeting notes, June 26, 2002 Meeting with City of Watsonville Representatives re: Watsonville Center Master Plan, Watsonville City Hall) 8. Watsonville residents, particularly Latinos, are not as generally aware of the college presence in Watsonville as was previously thought. (Meeting notes, Focus Group Meeting with Watsonville Center Students re: Watsonville Center Master Plan, July 31, 2002) |
| Economy |
1. There is a need for economic development in the Watsonville area, and a related need for improved job skills due to a high unemployment rate and low job skills. There is also need for an increased number of people trained in health occupations. (Meeting notes, June 26, 2002 Meeting with City of Watsonville Representatives re: Watsonville Center Master Plan, Watsonville City Hall) 2. There is a continuing need for training in occupational fields. Specifically, the jobs projected from 1999 to 2006 to experience largest rate of increases are computer engineer (57.8%), computer support tech (44.2%), police patrol officers (38.7%), system analysis/data processing (37.9%), and special ed teachers (34.1%). Jobs projected from 1999-2006 to be experiencing largest growth in numbers are retail sales professionals (n=340), cashiers (n=310), general office clerks (n=290), secondary school teachers (n=280), general managers (n=270), and elementary school teachers (n=260). (Community Assessment Project Comprehensive Report 2002, p.27) 3. Employers in the City of Watsonville demand increased basic skills for employees. (Meeting notes, June 26, 2002 Meeting with City of Watsonville Representatives re: Watsonville Center Master Plan, Watsonville City Hall) 4. The fastest job growth is seen in the construction industry (6.3% 2000-2001). The largest growth of new jobs is seen in trade (800 new jobs 2000-2001), services (800 new jobs, 2000-2001) and government (700 new jobs, 2000-2001) sectors. (Community Assessment Project Comprehensive Report, 2002, p. 26) 5. Watsonville has both the highest growth rate of new business and the highest unemployment rate in Santa Cruz County, 5.6% and 12.8% respectively. The second-highest rates were 1.8% new business growth in Capitola and 5.3% unemployment in Santa Cruz. (Community Assessment Project Comprehensive Report, 2002, pp. 24, 28) 6. For the foreseeable future, the entire college will be operating
in a highly restrained fiscal environment. ("Governor's Proposed
Cuts," Cabrillo College Office of the President Email Message re:
the California Governor's Proposed Education Budget Cuts, December
9, 2002; "Governor's Budget Package Includes Major Across-the-Board
Local Agency Cuts, " School Services of California, Inc., December
9, 2002)
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| Educational Needs |
1. Compared to other Santa Cruz high schools, Watsonville students are not prepared for college-level Math and English courses. A large percentage of students assessed at Watsonville High School assess into basic level Math and English. Watsonville High School students consistently score lowest on SAT scores within Santa Cruz County public high schools. (Cabrillo College Assessment of High School Students, Fact Book 2001 and Fact Book 2002, p.30; Fact Book 1999-00, p.39, Fact Book 1998-99, p.40) 2. The demand for transferable General Education classes will continue. (Watsonville Center Student Survey, Fall 2002; Meeting notes, July 31, 2002 Focus Group Meeting with Watsonville Center Students re: Watsonville Center Master Plan) 3. A majority of Watsonville Center students prefer not to take intensive classes (compressed schedule). (Watsonville Center Student Survey, Fall 2002) 4. There is a need to identify areas of instructional improvement. This might include addressing the full-time/part-time instructor ratio that is currently at 28% full-time. (Watsonville Center Student Survey, Fall 2002) 5. There is a desire on the part of the City of Watsonville to continue and expand cooperative arrangements with the college. [parking; Library 101; Water Quality Certification] (Meeting notes, June 2 6, 2002 Meeting with City of Watsonville Representatives re: Watsonville Center Master Plan, Watsonville City Hall) [this also appears under Tech/Fac/Infrastructure] 6. The California K-12 Education Technology Master Plan recommends
an increase of "the capacity of California's postsecondary education
systems to prepare larger numbers of qualified educators for our
public schools and preschools, particularly in regions where …
projected shortages of teachers are greatest, and from among non-
White racial and ethnic groups." ("The California K-12 Education
Technology Master Plan," November 2002, Recommendation 4.4, p. 15)
7. Watsonville High and Aptos High, which are the large "feeder" high schools to the Watsonville Center, have API (Academic Performance Index) scores of 488 and 688 respectively. [The scale is 200-1,000 based on standardized test scores.] The Hispanic API of these schools is 464 and 516 respectively. (PVUSD 2002 Growth API ratings) On a statewide ranking system of 1-10, Watsonville High is a 1 and Aptos High is a 7. (Community Assessment Project Comprehensive Report, 2002, p. 67) 8. The four-year high school dropout rate for Latinos in Santa Cruz County is 13.5%, compared to 2.6% for Caucasian. The PVUSD four- year dropout rate is 12.6%. (Community Assessment Project Comprehensive Report, 2002, p. 79-80) 9. Retention programs such as tutoring increase the success and retention rate of first-generation and non-traditional students. (Cabrillo College Tutorial Survey, 1996; Cabrillo College Student Evaluations of Tutorial Program and Tutoring Services, administered each semester, Tutorial Program Office; Watsonville Center Director's Office, 2002; Students who used ILC had a 72% success rate vs. a 66% success rate for those who did not, study by Watsonville Center Director's Office and PRO) 10. In Watsonville, 36% of the population over 25 years of age have less than a 9th grade education, and less than 9% have a BA or higher vs. the County. (Community Assessment Project Comprehensive Report, 2002, p. 101) 11. Of the eight ethnic categories studied, Latino students have the second lowest rate of completing college preparation courses (24.3%). The highest rate is for Caucasian students (49.7%). (Community Assessment Project Comprehensive Report, 2002, p. 94) 12. The state continues to encourage collaborative efforts between
2- and 4-year institutions to improve transfer rates. ("Master
Plan for Education in California," May 2002 Draft, California
State Senate; recommendations 12.5 and 12.6).
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| Infrastructure |
1. Demand for parking will continue. Sixty-six percent of the students surveyed rated parking as the highest priority for improvement. (Watsonville Center Student Survey, Fall 2002; Campus Climate Student Survey, 2001) 2. Childcare remains a significant need for approximately 23% of the students at the Watsonville Center. (Watsonville Center Student Survey, Fall 2002; Community Assessment Project Comprehensive Report, 2002, p.93) 3. There will be a continuing need for traditional phone and in-person registration [While students at the Watsonville Center are transitioning to increased internet usage, feedback from the student focus group indicated the need to provide person-to-person communication with the college]. (Watsonville Center Student Survey, Fall 2002; Meeting notes, July 31, 2002 Focus Group Meeting with Watsonville Center Students re: Watsonville Center Master Plan) 4. Approximately 50% of Watsonville Center students drive to the Watsonville Center. (Watsonville Center Student Survey, Fall 2002; Transportation Survey; Cabrillo College Transportation Study, 2001) 5. The government will demand better analysis of teaching methodologies
and collection of data among K-12 schools. ("Bringing Evidence-
Driven Progress to Education: A Recommended Strategy for the U.S.
Department of Education," U.S. Department of Education, November
2002)
6. The Watsonville Center continues to have room for growth in daytime course offerings. Almost 30% of the classrooms at the Watsonville Center are unused during the day. (Watsonville Center Director's Office, 2002) 7. There is a need to increase student awareness of services available through the Student Resource Center. (Meeting notes, Focus Group Meeting with Watsonville Center Students re: Watsonville Center Master Plan, July 31, 2002; Watsonville Center Student Survey, Fall 2002) Note: In this document, as in other official college documents, the term Hispanic is used interchangeably with Latino. Either term refers to people of non-White Hispanic/Latino origins. Hispanics/Latinos are ethnicities, not races. In this area, they are primarily composed of people of Mexican/ Central American origin - indigenous and indigenous-based mestizo population.
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