Cuyamaca College is located in the San Diego County community of Rancho San Diego on 165 beautiful acres that at one time was a part of the Old Monte Vista Ranch. Along with its sister campus, Grossmont College, it is part of the award-winning Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District.
The college’s name, linked to the area’s Native-American roots, comes from the Kumeyaay phrase “Ekwiiyemak,” which has been translated to mean “behind the clouds,” “above the rains,” and “the place where the rain comes from the heavens.”
The campus site was acquired by the district’s Board of Trustees in September 1972 and the college officially opened six years later. Today, Cuyamaca College offers more than 140 degrees and certificates, serves nearly 10,000 students, and is a significant contributor to the regional workforce and economy.
An official groundbreaking ceremony is held for the new Cuyamaca College campus in Rancho San Diego.
Wallace F. Cohen, Ed.D., becomes the founding president of Cuyamaca College, which still has no buildings, no staff, no faculty, and no students. Cohen will spend a year putting together a small administrative staff and, with their help, select new faculty and staff for the various departments, prepare curriculum, and hold meetings with college architects and contractors.
Cuyamaca College opens with a fall enrollment of 1,947 students.
Cuyamaca College holds its first Commencement with a graduating class of 38 students.
Student enrollment reaches 3,098 as Cuyamaca College for the first time enjoys a fully-functioning Campus Activities Office with nearly a dozen clubs. More than 20 students participate in the newly formed Student Government.
Samuel M. Ciccati, Ph.D., becomes Cuyamaca College’s second president. He would serve as president of the rapidly growing campus through July 1, 1993.
anniversary and now attracts well more than 5,000 people.