College History

Since the year it first opened in 1978, Cuyamaca College has demonstrated a strong commitment to the communities it serves. That commitment remains stronger than ever today, as the college actively promotes equity and social justice through educational strategies that build upon the strengths of its diverse student population. From the beginning, Cuyamaca has been dedicated to creating pathways to social and economic mobility, offering a comprehensive range of degrees and certificates that provide East County students with transfer, career, and lifelong learning opportunities.

Cuyamaca College, alongside its sister campus, Grossmont College, make up the Grossmont- Cuyamaca Community College District: A prestigious pair that have collectively been serving the East County community for over six decades.

The Cuyamaca College campus is located in the East San Diego County community of Rancho San Diego, nestled in a suburb just outside the city of El Cajon on a verdant 165-acre site that was at one time a part of the Old Monte Vista Ranch.

Cuyamaca is not just part of the college name, it reflects the region’s history and heritage. “Cuyamaca” is a word originating from the Kumeyaay language, meaning “Are you standing behind the rain clouds?” It is perhaps a reference to the location of the college at the base of Mt. Miguel, one of the highest points in San Diego County. San Diego is home to eighteen reservations, more than any other county in the country, and twelve reservations are of the Kumeyaay people. The name “Cuyamaca” is a tribute to the land upon which the campus is built, acknowledging and honoring the people which have lived in the area for thousands of years.

The campus site was acquired by the Board of Trustees in September 1972, and the college officially opened in the fall of 1978, with 1,947 students and nine associate-degree programs. Its first president was Dr. Wallace F. Cohen.

Today, Cuyamaca serves over 9,000 students each year, and offers 106 degrees and numerous certificate programs that prepare students for both academic and career pathways.

The College Over Time

Thirty-eight students made up Cuyamaca College’s first graduating class in May 1979. In the early ‘80s, the college’s second president was named, Dr. Samuel Ciccati, and the construction of facilities housing two flagship programs began – Automotive Technology and Ornamental Horticulture. During Dr. Ciccati’s tenure, the college also established what is today known as “The Grand Lawn.” The lawn was the first green area established on campus, completed in partnership with the California Conservation Corps. True to its community roots, faculty and staff brought tools and worked between classes and on breaks to clear the area in preparation for the Corps crew to dig trenches for irrigation so the expansive lawn could be planted and enjoyed for generations.

In the years that followed, the community of Rancho San Diego grew significantly, and by fall 1988, Cuyamaca’s enrollment had reached 3,600 students. This kick started nearly twenty years of campus expansion, that included the opening of the Learning Resource Center, a 30,000- square-foot, glass-covered building with distinctive architecture that houses the college library and other educational resources.

Soon thereafter, in the 1990s, the privately funded Heritage of the Americas Museum opened, along with a new 20.3-acre physical education facility that included a fitness center, gym, tennis and volleyball courts, soccer and ball fields, and an Olympic track. In 1994, Rancho San Diego Parkway opened, paving the way for a new main entrance with better access to the campus. That same year, Dr. Sherrill Amador also began her tenure as college president and helped to facilitate the Joint Powers Agreement between the college and area water districts to open the Water Conservation Garden on the campus – a must-visit for all home gardening and landscaping enthusiasts. The opening of a one-stop Student Services Center soon followed along with the unveiling of the Child Development Center. This whimsical facility serves as both a childcare facility for the campus and community, and a learning laboratory for students in Cuyamaca’s Child Development Studies program.

Dr. Geraldine M. Perri took over the reins as college president in 2002, the same year that East County residents approved Prop. R, a $207 million bond to finance upgrades and new building construction at the District’s two colleges. During this period of rapid growth, Prop. R transformed the campus into a high-tech learning magnet, bringing older facilities into the digital age and adding several new buildings: the Science and Technology Center (now the Science and Mathematics Building), the Student Center, the Business and Technology buildings, and a $45 million Communication Arts Center. Here, a well-appointed performing arts theater built to professional acoustical standards has become a major community asset as a high-demand site for community performances, assemblies, and business forums. Following a significant donation to the college years later, the center was renamed the Samue M. Ciccati Performing Arts Center in honor of the donor and College’s second President.

In 2006, the neighboring Kumeyaay Community College partnered with Cuyamaca College to provide Kumeyaay Studies language courses, eventually growing into an accredited Kumeyaay Studies degree program in 2016. The program was the first in the state offering a degree focused on the language, culture, and history of a specific Native American group. In 2011, Dr. Mark J. Zacovic was appointed to the post of college president, and major construction funded by Prop R drew to a close with completion of Cuyamaca’s Learning Resource Center expansion.

In November 2012, East County voters once again showed their support for the college district with the passage of Prop. V, a $398 million bond measure, and Cuyamaca College was one of three community colleges in the state to receive the inaugural Energy and Sustainability Award from the California Community College Board of Governors.

In 2013, the college was ranked among the nation’s “best of the best” veteran-friendly schools by U.S. Veterans Magazine. The college was the only community college in San Diego County to earn the distinction, and it secured its spot again in 2014 as a repeat winner of the coveted award.

Dr. Julianna Barnes, who previously served Cuyamaca College as vice president of student services, returned in October 2015 to take the helm as president. Under her leadership, the college transformed its approach to placement and teaching math, English, and ESL, and to this day placement in these critical courses is based on high school transcripts and GPA, rather than a placement exam. Cuyamaca College was the first community college in California to embrace this approach, earning the college the prestigious Dr. John W. Rice Diversity & Equity Award, and a few years later, national recognition as the only California community college selected as a finalist for the 2019 Examples of Excelenica by Excelenica in Education.

That same year, the college opened one-of-a-kind water and wastewater training facilities in California, launching an innovative program in collaboration with industry designed to train the next generation of water professionals.

From its inception, the college has proudly charted a transformative and innovative course to educating students. In 2020, that approach saw the college through a global pandemic, that galvanized the college’s efforts to offer its instruction and operations online for the first time in its history. To this day, using innovation and technology, the college continues to support students with counseling services, basic rights support including food and housing, and quality instruction both in person, and online.

A seasoned student services leader, Dr. Jessica Robinson arrived to Cuyamaca in 2018 as the Vice President of Student Services and was named interim president of Cuyamaca College in 2022. A year later Dr. Robinson was named the college’s seventh president and the first alumna to lead the college.

In 2024, Cuyamaca College was named a “Best for Vets” school by The Military Times, for the third year in a row. The college was also recognized for excellence in English and Math placement and named a Community College Champion in Black Transfer-Level Math Success by The Campaign for College Opportunity.

The new heart of campus, the Student Services Building, officially opened its doors in February 2023. Funded by Prop V, the 36,374 square foot student-centered building serves as the front door to campus with a welcome center, drop off circle, courtyard and houses all student services.

True to its roots, Cuyamaca College continues today to serve diverse communities with personalized attention and a commitment to equity, excellence, and social justice, and remains unwavering in its mission to meet the comprehensive educational and workforce training needs of East County.