Santa Barbara City College awarded Equal Employment Opportunities grant

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office announced that Santa Barbara City College has received an Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) Innovative Best Practices Grant of $299,995.

The EEO Grant is earmarked for programs that disrupt institutional racism and foster equitable hiring while creating a sense of welcome on campus.

This Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) grant joins multiple other EEO Innovative Best Practices Grants totaling $5,651,806 amongst 21 California Community College districts.

"I was humbled and inspired to collaborate with an amazing group of coworkers who understand the importance of approaching our DEIA work with intentionality; everyone was focused on creating and sustaining an environment where new employees and those who have been here for awhile feel welcomed as a part of this community and inspired to pay it forward and build lasting cultural change," said SBCC Interim Vice President of Human Resources Deneatrice Lewis.

“As a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), proactively and collectively, I am committed to hiring individuals who understand and value the cultural diversity of our student demographics,” said SBCC Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Maria Villagómez. “It is imperative that our students of color see themselves reflected in our faculty and staff. It sends them an invaluable message: you too can be a college professor one day, you belong in higher education and you have the right to pursue your dreams at SBCC. Most importantly, I think that a staff that is diverse and understands and values diversity is part of the infrastructure necessary to support our students holistically.