President de la Torre Visits SDSU Imperial Valley, Continues Listening Tour

As part of her ongoing listening tour, President Adela de la Torre made a first official visit to SDSU Imperial Valley this fall, sending a clear message that the campus is an integral part of her vision for the university. The addition of a full-time undergraduate degree program starting in 2020 is the first step towards that vision, she said. 

Joined by Interim Provost Joseph Johnson and several staff members from the Office of the President, de la Torre met with students, faculty, staff and community members, assuring them of her unwavering commitment to increase SDSU’s impact in the community. 

Census data indicate only 14 percent of Imperial County’s population holds a four-year college degree. Access to a full-time undergraduate program is particularly important for the region because many of the graduating high school seniors who are eligible for California State University and University of California schools do not immediately attend, according to SDSU Imperial Valley Dean Gregorio Ponce, likely because they want to stay close to their community.

“The right fit is everything,” de la Torre said. “I know! As a young girl, my grandmother would tell me, ‘Adelita, aqui´ es donde vas a estudiar,’ (Little Adela, this is where you’re going to study), referring to UC Berkeley. And that’s exactly what I did, because anyone who knows a Mexican family knows you listen to your grandma. It was a wonderful opportunity to get a great education without sacrificing my culture and main support system.”

Associated Students leaders from SDSU Imperial Valley echoed similar sentiments during their conversation with the president. 

“I am impressed by their leadership and am deeply moved by their love for this community,” de la Torre said. “They are truly committed to their studies, to staying here, and to building this region, and I’m happy that we can help them graduate debt-free or with very little debt.”

The full-time undergraduate program will offer local students one more option in addition to the Imperial Valley University Program (IVUP), a joint admission initiative between SDSU Imperial Valley and Imperial Valley College (IVC) in partnership with the Imperial County Office of Education. 

IVUP offers students an accessible, affordable, high-quality education with a clear path to earning a bachelor’s degree locally in four years and the option to obtain an associate’s degree from SDSU Imperial Valley at the same time. 
De la Torre also met with faculty and staff, heard their ideas and concerns, and spoke about identifying areas through which the San Diego campus can collaborate and work more closely with SDSU Imperial Valley.

“I want to be clear: We are all one university!” she said. “I see this campus as a unique opportunity to grow new areas of distinction for SDSU.”  

While her visit to Imperial Valley was her first official visit since becoming president of SDSU, de la Torre is not new to the area. 

In her prior role as vice chancellor of Student Affairs and director of Student Diversity for UC Davis, de la Torre visited Imperial County to recruit “because there’s a phenomenal pool of high quality of students here.”

Ponce praised de la Torre for perceiving that educating students in the Imperial Valley area will transform the community. “If we are serious about growing our local economy, we have to raise the community’s college educated percentage of the community,” he said.