Full-time college campus coming to Fallbrook

The best-priced two-year college education in North County is coming to Fallbrook when Palomar College opens the doors to its second center for education campus in 2011. On 82 acres, bordering I-15 near SR-76, with an initial 7,000 square feet of buildings plus playing fields, the new Fallbrook center will serve students living in Fallbrook, Bonsall, Valley Center and other communities in North County. The passing of Proposition M in November made it possible.

A two-year education at Palomar College has been a source of an AA degree and budget-wise alternative for students transferring to four-year colleges or universities for 61 years. Popular for the quality of its teachers, rich cultural heritage and diverse student population, Palomar College counts among its students Lori Holt Pfeiler, Mayor of Escondido; Ana Marie Salazar, Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Clinton Administration; Jeannie Zelasko, anchor, “Fox Sports;” Tom Dempsey, place kicker, Buffalo Bills; Phil Tippett, Academy Award-winning animator; and George Lucas of “Star Wars” fame. There’s a bonus, too. Students who pass freshman and sophomore transfer classes at Palomar College have priority transfer status as juniors to all UC schools. This is an important detail, as “40,000 students [recently] applied for 4,000 freshman seats at UCSD,” says Bob Deegan, president of Palomar College.

Local campus first

envisioned in 1946

A true college campus in Fallbrook was envisioned in early 1946 when Escondido, Fallbrook and Vista voters were asked to approve the construction of a junior college to serve their high school graduates. The measure passed by a wide margin in Escondido and Vista, but in Fallbrook, the measure failed.

Local voters balked. The new college would be too far for Fallbrook students to travel, they worried, and its economic benefits wouldn’t reach Fallbrook at all. Voters wanted the campus closer to home. Still, the project pushed forward and resulted in the appointment of Fallbrook physician Dr. Bertram C. Davies to the governing board of the new Northern San Diego County Junior College District.

By June 1946, the fledgling college found quarters at Vista High School and officially adopted Palomar Junior College as its name. A collection of teachers were quickly hired whose expertise covered courses then taught in California junior colleges. Along with mathematics, English, science, music, language and physical education, students could also study “Marriage and the Home,” “Sewing” and “Rifle Shooting.” Many of the 198 full-time students enrolled the first year were returning World War II veterans eager to gain a foothold in California’s growing economy. Although classes suited accepted curriculum, before it opened its doors that September, agricultural courses were added to comply with a program for returning farm veterans. Sixteen students enrolled, and by December 1948, Palomar’s agriculture program became the largest at any junior college in the state.

In January 1949, then-College President Dr. Daniel C. McNaughton stated, “The agricultural program should be the most important department of the college.” Soon, classes in raising poultry, rabbits, dairy, citrus and flower culture were added. While the emphasis on agricultural studies was prominent, concentration on liberal arts and transfer courses gained momentum and, with it, enrollment grew. Without today’s freeway access, travel to Palomar College took hours, so during its four years at Vista High School busses transported students living in the Escondido, Fallbrook and Vista school districts.

In 1949, San Marcos became the final location of the main campus; by 1950, students began classes in unfinished, relocated Navy barracks. Among these early college pioneers, esprit des corps was high. Records indicate they referred to Palomar as “our” school and each semester two days were set aside as work days so students and faculty could clean up their buildings and landscape the bare ground.

The first permanent buildings were ready for use in 1956, and in 1962, a round of bond issues to expand the campus began. Meanwhile, by 1963 campus enrollment ballooned to 1,460 students and after several tries, a bond issue finally passed providing for new buildings on the campus. By 1975, 14,000 students were attending Palomar College. Over 30,000 students are now enrolled.

Expansion and the future

Sometime between the 1970s and 2007, the moniker “junior” was dropped from its name and Palomar College moved forward, offering classes to suit changing occupations and university requirements. Although it is no longer an agricultural college, it is still in the vanguard of community colleges in California and “recognized for its scholarship and commitment to excellence,” says Bob Deegan.

Palomar College now operates seven campus sites and one center in Escondido. When the new Fallbrook campus is finished, it too will be a state-approved “center.” To qualify as a center, a community college location must have at least 1,000 full-time equivalent students taking 12 to 15 units, says Frederick E. Harris, Assistant Vice Chancellor of College Finance and Facility Planning for the California Community College System. Harris says his office has been informed there are now 1,700 students enrolled at Palomar College whose addresses are either Fallbrook or Bonsall.

In 1968, Palomar College began offering night classes at Fallbrook Union High School in response to requests from high school students who wanted to take credit and transfer classes prior to high school graduation. Core classes in history, English, sociology and psychology were available along with music, art, an assortment of businesses courses and vocational studies such as criminal justice and child development. By 1988, student enrollment on the high school campus was 1,367, including those enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL).

Although 35 credit and noncredit classes are conducted at Fallbrook High School today, all but the ESL courses are likely to move to the new center. Deegan says it will probably open with classes in the humanities and business technologies, along with student services, administration and records. The ESL classes will remain at Fallbrook High School because of the site accessibility for the large number of foreign-speaking working students who attend classes at night. Courses will be added at the new center as needed. Possible choices include advanced courses in science and mathematics, health, vocational technology, a child development center, learning center, performing arts and physical education facilities.

While Palomar College offers 200 academic majors, it is also a central source of vocational training vital to employment needs today. When the new Fallbrook campus opens, Deegan expects a boost to the economy in Fallbrook, as students who complete basic courses become a ready source of employees for local businesses. “Our nurses have one of the highest passing rates in the state,” Deegan boasts, “and of our last paramedic group, 33 out of 35 were hired by North County agencies.”

A full-time college campus near Fallbrook is exciting, says Chet Gannett, Assistant Superintendent for the Fallbrook Union High School District. “Having that campus so close will be a huge advantage for high school students who still want to take college credit classes in advance of graduation. And for Fallbrook students already enrolled at Palomar, it will offer them a broader selection of credit classes near home.”

Just as Fallbrook voters knew in 1946 the value of a college education close to home would be an advantage, so do present residents who will finally gain the benefit.