New chancellor to lead diversity, equity, and inclusion in the San Diego Community College District

Acting Chancellor Gregory Smith led the San Diego Community College District contingent in the Martin Luther King (MLK) Day Parade along the Embarcadero on Sunday.

Next week, he will take the permanent position when the Board of Trustees approves his contract.

“I have a responsibility to correct things that people who look like me have created," Smith said.

As a white man, he is direct about discrimination and the American history that so many politicians and pundits currently disagree over. This election year, there is a cultural divide when it comes to the discussion of slavery, civil rights, and social justice for marginalized minority communities who have suffered most.

“I exist in a context where I may not have been the enslaver, but I have benefited tremendously from that racial hierarchy. So, it’s on me to be a part of solving that and take a proactive role in solving it," he said.

San Diego Community College District

In December, the district’s board promoted Smith from acting chancellor, a position he’s held since last March.

He stepped up from his job as head of human resources to replace previous chancellor Carlos Cortez, who unexpectedly resigned for personal reasons.

“I was not expecting there to be a need to serve as acting chancellor … I wasn’t expecting that the board would be thinking of me if that moment came,” Smith said. 

The moment had come.

Smith leads a district with a majority of students who come from marginalized communities of color, who want equity, access and an affordable education — on both sides of the border.

The new year brings a new law with a pilot program allowing low-income students who live within 45 miles of the California-Mexico border to attend community college and not pay much more expensive out-of-state tuition. It works both ways.

“We’ve dropped a significant financial barrier for members of our community who just happen to live on the other side of that border, and there’s a reciprocal agreement that comes with that. Our residents will now be able to go to institutions in Northern Mexico and take classes with resident tuition as well.”

Smith will also advocate for every dollar the district can get from the state budget. Governor Newsom’s new spending proposal includes $60 million for community colleges to expand their nursing programs, including more 4-year bachelor degrees.

The Newsom budget also continues state support for affordable student housing. That includes funding for the district’s mid-rise apartment complex planned at City College through a state lease revenue bond.

M.G. Perez

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KPBS

“We are capable of creating the curriculum, the certificates, and the degrees that demonstrate our value to society. It can help us raise the standard of living wages across all industries in our region and improve the experience we all have in our communities," Smith said.

Almost 100,000 students will be served by the San Diego Community College District this year at City, Mesa, Miramar, and the seven other campuses of the College of Continuing Education.

The spring semester starts Jan. 29 and enrollment is already up 10% from last year.

This MLK holiday marks the beginning of a new era.

“What I’d love to see is a district where every member, student, employee, community member coming in feels like I can be authentically who I am here and I will belong. And, in that, I can actually achieve success," he said.