SDCCD : City College Arts And Humanities Building To Be Named In Honor Of Chancellor Carroll

Press release from San Diego Community College District:

June 10, 2021

The SDCCD Board of Trustees has voted to name San Diego City College’s iconic Arts
and Humanities building in honor of retiring Chancellor Constance M. Carroll, Ph.D.,
in recognition of her distinguished service over her 17-year tenure.

The Board approved the naming during its June 10 meeting, Chancellor Carroll’s last
before she retires on June 30. The $94.6-million building, located on City College’s
downtown San Diego campus, will now be called the “Constance M. Carroll, Ph.D., Arts
and Humanities Building.” This action was recommended by the Chancellor’s Cabinet,
which includes the four college presidents, and was approved by the City College Governance
Council.

The 128,000-square-foot Arts and Humanities building which opened in 2014 was built
using Proposition N bond funds Chancellor Carroll fought hard to secure voter support
for in 2006. It is one of 43 new buildings and 18 building renovations completed as
part of the $1.555 billion Propositions S and N bond campaigns across the district’s
four colleges.

Selection of City College’s Arts and Humanities building is also fitting given Chancellor
Carroll’s lifelong commitment to the Classics and support for the Humanities. These
efforts culminated in her appointment in 2011 by President Barack Obama, and confirmation
by the U.S. Senate, to serve on the National Council on the Humanities, which oversees
the National Endowment for the Humanities. More recently, she has led a partnership
with UC San Diego to create the Preparing Accomplished Transfers to the Humanities
(PATH) initiative boosting the number of community college students transferring to
baccalaureate and Ph.D. programs in the humanities. The PATH initiative was funded
by two grants totaling over $5 million from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

“The Classics are an important part of my life because it is a field that is interdisciplinary
and provides lessons that are applicable across the ages,” said Chancellor Carroll,
who earned a bachelor’s degree in Humanities before securing a master’s degree and
Ph.D. in the Classics (Ancient Greek and Latin). “I am honored to have a personal
connection with such a handsome building that serves as a hub in educating students
of all ages in the visual and performing arts, world cultures, languages, and much
more.”

In addition to naming the Constance M. Carroll, Ph.D., Arts and Humanities Building,
the SDCCD Board also voted on June 10 to grant Dr. Carroll the title of Chancellor
Emerita. The Board cited Chancellor Carroll’s record of service as chief executive
officer at the region’s largest system of higher education; successfully chairing
the statewide advocacy effort in 2014 in passing Senate Bill 850 to establish a community
college baccalaureate pilot program, including a baccalaureate program at Mesa College;
launching the tuition-free San Diego Promise, which has helped more than 6,400 students
attend college; successfully advocating for equalizing the funding rates for California
community college districts, which has continued to be considered in the current funding
model for all 73 districts; and her leadership in the Propositions S and N bond programs
which have physically transformed the district.

“Chancellor Carroll leaves a legacy of outstanding leadership at the SDCCD, which
has provided significant contributions to literally hundreds of thousands of students
over the years and naming the building in her honor acknowledges her impact and commitment
to educating current and future generations of students,” said SDCCD Board of Trustees
President Maria Nieto Senour.

This press release was produced by San Diego Community College District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.