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Ventura College outlines growth at Santa Paula East Campus, cites HSI grant and enrollment gains
Summary
Ventura College leaders told the Santa Paula City Council that East Campus enrollment and programs are recovering post‑COVID, dual‑enrollment at Santa Paula High rose from 77 to 115 students, ESL grew about 140% year‑over‑year, and an HSI Title V grant will fund six new positions to expand services.
Ventura College President Claudia Lourido Habib and East Campus Dean Kenya Johnson briefed the Santa Paula City Council on the college’s East Campus operations and recent gains.
Claudia Lourido Habib said she is in her third month as Ventura College president and emphasized local engagement. She described recovery after COVID and said headcount at East Campus has returned to pre‑pandemic levels while Full‑Time Equivalent students (FTES) remain a work area as the college aims to reach thresholds required for center status. "I have not only office hours at the East Campus, but I also have a side office at Rabelais," Habib said, signaling expanded on‑site presence.
Dean Kenya Johnson described staffing and program growth: the campus currently has six full‑time and three part‑time staff and won an HSI Title V grant that will fund six additional positions to increase student services. Johnson said the college ran 66 workshops in 2023–24 that reached 2,841 students and prospective students.
The council pressed on partnerships with local high schools and career‑technical education pathways. Johnson highlighted dual enrollment as a pipeline: "At Santa Paula High School for academic year 2022–23 there were 77 students participating in a dual enrollment class. In academic year 2023–24 that number increased to 115," she said, and added that the program is primarily Hispanic/Latino students.
Habib and Johnson also flagged dramatic growth in English‑as‑a‑Second‑Language offerings — Johnson said the ESL program grew about 140% from fall 2023 to fall 2024 — and noted that East Campus houses the college’s full veterinary‑technician program and a growing set of labs and student supports. The presenters described ongoing coordination with the district and the state chancellor’s office for Center status, which will require a needs assessment tied to FTES projections and facilities planning.
Council members welcomed the updates and pledged continued partnership to support expanded courses, outreach, and student services at the East Campus.
