Opinion: California’s resilient community colleges are built for what comes next

Community colleges were designed to stay close to their communities, responding in real time to shifting workforce needs, economic disruption and the changing realities of students’ lives. That adaptability has carried us through recessions, demographic shifts and a global pandemic.

As higher education now faces challenges of rapid technological change, evolving workforce demands and growing pressure to demonstrate return on investment, that original purpose matters more than ever.

At MiraCosta College, that adaptability translates into a sustained focus on student success and workforce relevance, strengthening both the college and the region it serves. Each year, MiraCosta educates nearly 28,000 students across North County, including recent high school graduates, working parents, veterans, first-generation students and adults returning to education after years away.

Many are balancing jobs, caregiving responsibilities and rising living costs while trying to improve their prospects. They come to us seeking options that are both affordable and lead to real opportunity. Serving them well has required flexibility and innovation, rather than systems designed for an earlier era and a more traditional, linear college experience.

Over more than 90 years, MiraCosta has become a student-success and workforce powerhouse not through a single initiative, but through consistent, intentional choices about who we serve and how we serve them. We’ve built programs around real career pathways, including launching the first bachelor’s degree in biomanufacturing at a California community college, while simultaneously strengthening transfer and workforce options.

Just as importantly, we have done so in a way that keeps college affordable and delivers a strong return on investment, allowing students to gain valuable credentials, move efficiently toward a four-year degree, or enter the workforce without taking on unnecessary debt. And we designed schedules, supports and partnerships that reflect the realities of working adults and first-generation students across North County, recognizing that students’ goals are not one-size-fits-all.

Those choices show up in outcomes. Last spring, MiraCosta celebrated nearly 1,700 graduates, and we are on pace to far exceed last year’s numbers. That success doesn’t stop at degree completion. MiraCosta consistently leads Southern California community colleges in transfer to the University of California system, with particularly strong outcomes at local campuses, such as UC San Diego. These results reflect strong academic preparation, robust advising and long-standing partnerships that help students plan and succeed from their first course through transfer.

MiraCosta’s approach has also gained national recognition. The college was recently named among the top 200 institutions nationwide eligible to compete for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, based on student retention, completion, transfer and post-graduation outcomes. While recognition is never the goal, this distinction reinforces what matters most: we’re succeeding in helping students complete college and move into meaningful careers and continued education.

Nationally, leaders across the community college sector are emphasizing a similar message as they look ahead. Recent commentary has pointed to the importance of intentional design — aligning programs with workforce needs, modernizing student pathways, and strengthening partnerships that connect education to opportunity. The Resilient by Design framework from the American Association of Community Colleges captures this moment well: resilience is not about reacting to change but about designing institutions that are ready for it.

As I prepare to retire this summer, I’ve had the privilege of seeing community colleges evolve in my three decades as an educator, often at moments when staying the same would have been easier but far less responsive to students’ needs. During that time, I’ve seen every community college and university president in the county of San Diego be hired, sometimes multiple times, offering a rare vantage point on how institutions grow, adapt and endure. 

At MiraCosta, that evolution has been guided by listening closely to our community and responding with purpose. The colleges that endure are not those that cling to tradition for its own sake, but those that hold fast to mission while continually strengthening how we deliver on that mission.

Higher education faces a crucial choice. This moment calls for clarity about what students and communities will need next, and the resolve to design for that future now. For many Californians considering their next step, it’s also worth noting that admission at community colleges like MiraCosta is open for new, returning and transfer students, an immediate opportunity to build skills, pursue transfer or begin again.

Community colleges are not a fallback option; they are essential infrastructure for California’s economic and civic future, offering one of the most effective, affordable pathways to education, upward mobility and workforce readiness. Open, accessible and deeply rooted in place, they strengthen local economies, help employers grow, adapt and provide communities with stability in uncertain times.

Community colleges like MiraCosta are resilient by design, and with thoughtful support, they will continue to lead California forward.

Dr. Sunita “Sunny” Cooke is superintendent and president of MiraCosta Community College District. She is retiring in the summer.