CHULA VISTA, CA – Assemblymember David Alvarez (D-San Diego) joined UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla, Southwestern College President and Superintendent Dr. Mark Sanchez, and students and faculty from both campuses to celebrate $11.8 million in state funding to bring more higher educational opportunities for students across the South Bay.
"South County wants access to a university education close to home. This state investment brings new programs at Southwestern College and a clear transfer pathway to UC San Diego, so our students can earn high-demand degrees without leaving their community," said Assemblymember David Alvarez. “I'm grateful to Chancellor Khosla, President Sanchez, and everyone who has worked to make this possible, and I will keep working until South County has the university our students and families deserve”
The funding includes $8.8 million for UC San Diego for the Business Data Science and PRIME Rx programs in the South Bay, expanding access to high-demand bachelor degrees in South Bay. It also includes $3 million for Southwestern College to reconstitute its Pharmacy Technician Associate Degree program, develop an Associate Degree in Data Science, and support a transfer pathway with UC San Diego.
"This partnership represents a meaningful step toward making higher education more accessible for students who call the South Bay home,” said UC San Diego Chancellor Khosla. “It will be powered by our renowned faculty who will prepare graduates for high-demand careers in business data science and health professions. I am grateful to Assemblymember Alvarez and the State of California for their continued support of innovative higher education programs that expand access to a world-class degree.”
PRIME Rx, housed in the UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, is the first UC Programs in Medical Education (PRIME) program established at a pharmacy school. The program is designed to train pharmacists to practice in underserved communities, including along the U.S.-Mexico border, and provides significant scholarship support to students over the four years of the Doctor of Pharmacy program.
"This investment is about more than developing programs. It is about aligning education with our students’ aspirations and the needs of today’s workforce,” said Southwestern College President and Superintendent Dr. Mark Sanchez. “We are grateful to Assemblymember David Alvarez, Chancellor Khosla and our partners at UC San Diego for helping make this opportunity possible.”
The Southwestern College Pharmacy Technician Associate Degree program, together with PRIME Rx, will create a pathway for pharmacy careers in the region. The Data Science associate degree and the transfer pathway with UC San Diego will give South Bay students a route from community college to a university degree without leaving the region.
These investments are a continuation of Assemblymember Alvarez's work to bring higher education degree programs to South County and is part of the University Now Initiative (UNI), a regional effort to bring a university to Chula Vista. Data scientists and pharmacy technicians are among the high-demand jobs identified in the UNI Needs Assessment Report.