President's Welcome

Welcome MiraCosta College Students

Fransico C. Rodriguez, Ph.D.

Bienvenidos! Welcome to a new academic year at MiraCosta College. Whether this is your first time at the college, or you are returning to school, I hope you will agree that MiraCosta is a great place to learn!

During my first year at MiraCosta College, I quickly realized that what makes MiraCosta special is not just our beautiful campuses and locations, but also our talented faculty and staff who are dedicated to helping you excel.

We are all experiencing the effects of our current economic situation, whether by keeping an extra-close eye on the family budget, or by looking for new employment after losing a job. I grew up in a working-class family and we didn’t have a lot of material possessions, but we did have a sense of family, a sense of community and an ethic of caring for each other. I share this because I believe MiraCosta College is a place where these same values exist. At MiraCosta, we strive to make you feel welcome and connected to our college.

We also want to assist you in making the most of these challenging times. Our exemplary academic and career training programs help you work toward a new career or toward transferring to a four-year university. Our financial aid and scholarship offices can help provide you with the means to make your education a reality. Our many student support services assist you in a variety of ways, from providing health services to helping you select your career or transfer destination. Our student activities and clubs offer you the opportunity to nurture your creativity and intellect outside the classroom, to experience new things and meet other like-minded people.

MiraCosta College is beginning its 76th year of serving our communities and transforming lives through education—the college has come a long way since its first class of 122 students met on the campus of Oceanside High School in 1934! We now have three campuses that serve more than 14,000 students each semester in the credit program and another 4,000 in our noncredit programs. As MiraCosta grows, we continue to meet the needs of our students and our community by building new facilities and offering new educational programs.

The best chapters of our college story may very well lie ahead, and I invite you to be co-authors! If you see me around campus, I hope you’ll stop and say ‘hi’ and let me know the ways MiraCosta can continue to serve you. My sincere best wishes for a successful academic year!

Sincerely,

Francisco C. Rodriguez, Ph.D.
Superintendent/President