We are MJC - The Community's College!
We are 100 years young! Those of you who were present in person on Sunday the 19th, you truly witnessed a historic moment. Those of you who could not be there on Sunday, here is a link to our centennial page: https://www.mjc.edu/100/. You can watch the recordings of the event from the links provided on this page. You can also watch the story covered by local TV station at https://kcra.com/article/modesto-junior-college-century-education-first-generation-students/37654449. From a humble journey that started with 61 chartered students, we serve over 25,000 students now!
Every a great journey begins with a vision. Our founders had the vision to empower the community, aspire them to scale new heights, and inspire our students. The journey continues! Four dimensions that impact the destiny of a great institution of higher learning are: determined students, committed employees, visionary leadership and supportive community. We are fortunate to have all four at MJC over the last century and we will continue to build upon the foundation that is robust. MJC is the platform that brings these four forces together. It provides an opportunity for us to enrich one another, learn from each other, and relentlessly pursue scholarship to enhance the learning process at every level of society, across the country, and in multiple nations. During the last century, we have inspired our students to reach their potential and enrich the world. Our alumni are present all over the globe. They are filmmakers and football players, artists and actors, entrepreneurs and corporate leaders, activists and Olympians –they have made us proud with their distinguished careers! We are proud that we had the opportunity to inspire them!
While there is so much for us to be proud of at MJC, our work is most certainly not done. We know the stakes are incredibly high and the focus on improving education could not be more important. This is also a time of expanding the limits of our abilities, and I believe that together, we are poised to bring about important change in education. Our students represent the optimism, entrepreneurial spirit, and amiability that have come to define the MJC graduate. To continue the journey of innovation, we are starting our Applied Creativity and Community Transformation initiative this Fall to address the need of future-focused learners. We are collaborating with local educational institutions and civic organizations to create a pathway from cradle to career. We are strengthening our bond with local businesses and industries to develop a roadmap through education to employment.
Education matters in its own right, but we don’t often think about how public health, industries, government, business, art, and culture intersect with and in many ways, rely on, education to make progress. These are gateways to the success of our world, and education, in turn, is foundational to them. And it is often in partnership — drawing connections between education and other fields — that we identify new insights and ways to address the most important challenges we face. When the campus and community come together, great things happen! In the years to come, we will continue to strengthen our partnerships with other institutions of educations, civic leaders, businesses and industries to transform the economic landscape of Modesto and beyond, to inspire our students from Central Valley to reach their potential, to be an integral part of development of economy of our region, and enhance the overall quality of life and society.
An event of this magnitude cannot come together without tireless effort from many!
A few I would particularly recognize are Dr. Boodrookas, for your passionate leadership
and commitment, Jeanette Fontana for your creative ideas including the logo and promotions,
Alejandra Espinoza for guiding the students, Sherri Suarez and Mike Sundquist for
all the planning and execution. Every day I am proud to serve as President of MJC.
But on the centennial celebration, when I witnessed the extraordinary impact of our
education and our potential to enrich the community, I am most proud to serve as the
President of this outstanding institution that continues to inspire and transform
lives! WE are MJC – the community’s college!
