SBCC - 1946 to 1986
Chronology of Significant Development at City College from 1946 to 1986
by Robert Casier
Note: The term “board” was often used to describe the main public governing board
of the college from 1946 to 1965. This board was responsible for both the elementary
and secondary schools.. The college came under the jurisdiction of the secondary school district.
♦ 1946 – 47. The Board of Education of the Santa Barbara Schools District, unanimously voted to re-establish the Santa Barbara Junior College after a twenty-year hiatus (1926 – 1946).
Superintendent of Santa Barbara Schools, Lindquist created a tripartite organization called The Community Institute which was comprised of three entities: Adult Education, University Extension, and the Junior College. Initially, there were less than 100 students in the junior college program.
Clearly the most important reason for establishing the junior college was that the Secondary District needed a new tax base for operating expenses and bond assessments to build such projects as the Santa Barbara High School Gymnasium. Most of the bond money went for 12 grades, in a series of tax and bond elections during the 1946 – 1965 period.
♦ 1947. William Kircher was chosen as the junior college principal [note the high school appellation], and Assistant Director of the Community Institute. Sam Wake became Director of Adult Education and Principal of the Evening High School (note the ‘high school’ again being used).
♦ 1951. Hank Bagish and John Flynn became the first full time contract/ Faculty members of the Junior College. At that time the class schedule listed only subjects from the Adult Division.
♦ 1952. Dr. Leonard Bowman replaced Kirchner with a new title, Director, a good first step away from a high school association. Bowman did not have any title relating to the Community Institute, as did all administrators before him. (See the chart at the end of this chronological presentation). It appears that the end of the Institute came in stages. First, university extension courses were appropriately transferred to Santa Barbara College, a branch of the University system since 1945. When I came to teach at the junior college in 1955 there was no reference to the Community Institute.
♦ 1953. Katherine McCloskey, a member of the Board of Education, and a strong supporter of the college, raised the question whether the Secondary District was making only a ‘token job” in the development of the college. Dr. Jacobson responded with a formal report on the projected development for the college. First, he assumed that the college would continue to operate as part of the Secondary District (13th and 14th grades) under the city schools superintendent. Next he called for a small college of 400 – 600 students. Talk about an underestimation of the growth factor. Jacobson concluded that the Mesa campus would take care of separate needs for the next 10 – 20 years. Note the Mesa campus was a distinct site possibility as early as 1953.
Dr. Jacobson also asked the Board to have an appraisal made of both the Riviera campus of UCSB and the Mesa campus of UCSB as possible future sites for the college.
♦ 1954. The Board exercised its option to buy the Riviera Campus for temporary use.
♦ 1955 – 57. The Board entered into a lease/ purchase agreement to buy the Mesa campus. The actual purchase took place on July 27, 1957. Note how virtually all the decisions regarding the college were recommended by the ‘downtown’ administration of the Superintendent of Schools. I wonder about the extent to which Dr. Bowman was consulted.
♦ 1955. The Secondary District, still in need of money, passed another bond issue and tax increase. Only $1,230,000 of the $9,125,000 bond issue went to the college. Isn’t that surprising?
♦ 1956. The faculty of the Riviera Campus established a Liaison Committee to discuss faculty issues and to establish a better working relationship with the Bowman administration. This was probably the first step toward an increase in the power of faculty governance.
♦ July 27, 1957. As previously noted, the Board used part of the bond money to purchase the Mesa campus.
♦ January, 1958. The Instructors Association replaced the Liaison Committee as the major faculty organization, with Hank Bagish as its first president. Although one of its later main functions was to negotiate salaries and working conditions, this was not so in 1958.
♦ 1958. For the first time, Superintendent Scharer asked the SBCC faculty to choose someone to serve with community members on a screening committee for the next college President. Robert Casier was elected by the faculty. Later three other faculty members were involved in interviewing the top three candidates. What a giant step in faculty involvement in the important decision-making of the college.
Joseph Cosand was the unanimous choice of all involved. Dr. Scharer retained his position as Superintendent of Schools, as we were still part of the high school district.
♦ 1959. The California Master Plan called for a tri-partite organization of higher education which included the Junior Colleges, the State Universities, and the University of California. Compare this with the tri-partite organization of the Community Institute in 1946, which placed the college within secondary education. This was a mile stone for the college to be recognized as part of higher education.
Students and faculty were asked to rename the college. After first choosing Santa Barbara Coast College (1956) it later decided on Santa Barbara City College. I first supported Coast College as a better title for the large geographical area served by the college from Carpinteria to the Gaviota coast. I changed my position as I gave the issue further thought about the location of the actual college within the City of Santa Barbara. People know about Santa Barbara and it generally has a favorable connotation. I think it was a good choice.
♦ 1962. Joe Cosand left Santa Barbara to become Chancellor of a multiple campus junior college district in St. Louis. Douglas White becomes Acting President for the Fall semester of 1962.
March, 1962. Another successful bond issue with the funds split again between the Secondary District and the College. The Board of the Secondary District turned down an offer to buy what has become the West Campus. The price was only $100,000. Later in 1973, when the Board purchased the West Campus, the price was $3,800,000. What a lack of foresight! There was a lot of talk about a two-campus college.
September, 1962. Superintendent Scharer took the initiative to set up a separate college district as required by the 1958 Master Plan for Higher Education.
♦ 1963. Robert Rockwell was chosen as new President of Santa Barbara City College. March 1963. The Board formally petitioned to create a separate college district to begin July 1, 1964.
♦ 1964. Faculty Academic Senate established, with John Forsyth as its first president.
The April 1964 election was held for a separate SBCC Board of Trustees. James Garvin (Garvin Theatre) was selected as the first Board President.
♦ 1965. Robert Casier, representing the Instructors Association, makes the first faculty presentation to the new SBCC Board of a proposal on salaries and working conditions.
♦ 1968 – 69. Lorenzo Dall’armi became Acting President for 1968-69.
♦ 1969.After two losing bond campaigns in 1966 and 1967 a successful bond issue was passed in 1969 for $5,500.000.
♦ 1969 – 70. Julio Bortolazzo became the President/ Superintendent for one year.
♦ 1970. Glenn Gooder was selected as president and served until 1978. Name of college district changed from Santa Barbara Junior College to Santa Barbara Community College District.
♦1972. Sam Wake retired as Director of Continuing Education. The evening credit program was put under the direction of the college president. A divisive issue was put to rest.
♦ 1978. Actual year of purchase of the West Campus. President Gooder informed Wake that no bond money would go to purchase additional buildings for Adult Education. Wake was asked to organize a Foundation for the City College, to create a separate board for this new institution on behalf of Adult Education, and to become Executive Director. Two locations eventually housed Adult Education classes. The one at the Wake Center was originally Cathedral Oaks School, and the Schott Center was located at the old Garfield School. Later the Foundation extended the purposes for which funds could be spent .
♦ 1979. The Academic Senate established the procedure for selecting the Faculty lecturer to be awarded for teaching excellence and/ or service for the college. Robert Casier delivered the first faculty lecture.
♦ 1981. Dr. Peter MacDougall became the SBCC President/ Superintendent.
♦ 1986. The Instructors Association, in accordance with State Law (Rodda Act) was certified as the bargaining agent for the faculty on matters relating to salaries and workers conditions.