From President Shabazz
Welcome to City College
On behalf of the administration, faculty, and classified professionals at San Diego City College, I congratulate you for your pursuit in higher education andwelcome you to the Knights family.
San Diego City College has provided a tradition of academic excellence, student success, and social justice since 1914. You will study among peers who are engaged in and out of the classroom in ways that will change the world. Our faculty and classified professionals engage in discussions that are driven by the idea of making the world a better place — one community at a time.
As a City College Knight, you have access to resources and student support services to ensure you graduate and transfer to the four-year institution of your choice. Your journey will begin in a community equipped with everything you need to make your academic goals a reality.
Be sure to connect with our various student support services and learning communities. Visit our website to learn more.
Again, congratulations on furthering your education, and I look forward to seeing you on campus.
Ricky Shabazz, Ed.D.
President
Downloadables
Portrait of Dr. Shabazz Bio of Dr. Shabazz
About President Shabazz
Dr. Ricky Shabazz is a dynamic, student-centered leader with more than 25 years of executive experience advancing academic achievement, promoting social justice, and expanding access to higher education. Known for his collaborative leadership style, Dr. Shabazz is an accomplished public speaker, strategic thinker, and team builder with a proven record of fostering partnerships that drive student success.
He is recognized for his expertise in enrollment management and for cultivating institutional policies, processes, and cultures that create personalized learning experiences and improve student outcomes. Dr. Shabazz is deeply committed to data-informed decision-making, implementing high-impact practices, and promoting innovative, inclusive solutions that engage diverse stakeholders. A passionate lifelong learner, he is steadfastly dedicated to the mission of community colleges and their role in educating diverse populations.
As President and CEO of San Diego City College, Dr. Shabazz provides visionary leadership at one of the nation’s most innovative and socially engaged community colleges. His presidency emphasizes student completion, success, and social justice. Previously, he served as Vice President of Student Services at San Bernardino Valley College, Dean of Student Services at El Camino College Compton Center, and Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions at the University of California, Davis (UCD).
Dr. Shabazz holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and a Master’s in Educational Administration from California State University, San Bernardino, as well as a Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis. His research focuses on expanding college access for underrepresented students and developing effective learning communities.
Throughout his career, Dr. Shabazz has led transformative initiatives. At Compton College, he guided efforts that increased enrollment from 3,000 to nearly 15,000 students during a period of institutional transition. At San Bernardino Valley College, his team established one of the nation’s first Undocumented Student Resource Centers and expanded dual enrollment programs through strong partnerships with local high schools. He has also been a vocal advocate for state equity programs supporting undocumented students and the expansion of dual enrollment opportunities.
As an active member of A²MEND (the African American Male Education Network and Development organization), Dr. Shabazz has been instrumental in securing over $1 million in scholarships for community college students, establishing A²MEND chapters on more than 40 campuses, and supporting nearly 1,000 students in study abroad programs across Africa. Each year, A²MEND provides 15–20 community college students with the opportunity to study abroad.
Under his leadership at San Diego City College, the institution launched the first Cybersecurity Bachelor of Arts program at a California community college, opened the state’s first Barbershop Initiative to support the mental health of Black and Latino male students, and began developing the first affordable housing program south of Los Angeles, designed to house more than 800 first-generation, justice-impacted, veteran, and foster youth students. The college also offers a range of learning communities tailored to the needs of Black, Latino, veteran, justice-impacted, and Promise students.
A first-generation college graduate, Dr. Shabazz draws inspiration from his own journey—his mother was a teenage parent, and his father is a veteran. He remains dedicated to helping students from diverse backgrounds achieve academic and personal excellence while building highly effective, equity-driven teams.
Dr. Shabazz serves on several boards, including A²MEND, The President’s Round Table, The Museum of Us, The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), and other community-based organizations.
San Diego City College is an Aspen Institute Top 20 Community College, accredited by the ACCJC, serving approximately 22,000 students across credit and career education programs. The college employs nearly 1,000 faculty and staff and operates with an annual budget of approximately $120 million as a Hispanic-Serving Institution deeply committed to equity, inclusion, and student success.
President's Vision
Download President's Vision & Executive Priorities
You Belong Here: The City College Experience
1. San Diego City College is the leader in creating a learning culture that improves student success through social justice, educational equity, and academic excellence
2. We share the City College LOVE by creating caring and compassionate connections with EVERYONE
3. We provide high-touch and high-quality pathways for students to complete degrees/certificates, transfer and/or enter fulfilling careers
4. We promote talent and professional development in order to ensure our students see themselves in our curriculum and student services in order to support a diverse community of learners
5. We prioritize e orts to dismantle systems that negatively impact efforts to improve cultural competency in our planning and processes
6. We value partnerships and philanthropy that foster student success, completion, transfer,
and career placement of students into high-demand careers and servicebased learning
Executive Priorities
i. Closing Equity Gaps
ii. Improving Completion and Transfer
iii. Career Pathways
iv. Expanding Learning Communities
v. Expanded Promise Bundles
vi. Increasing FAFSA numbers (20% of SCFF)
i. Health and Safety
ii. Advancing Professional Development
iii. Creating Meaningful Connections
iv. Celebrating the City College Culture
v. Sharing Success Stories
i. Retention, Retention, Retention
ii. Rebuilding Programs
iii. BA Program
iv. Nights and Weekends
v. Concurrent Enrollment
vi. Support for Part-time Students
i. Business O.ce Support
ii. Transparency in Processes and Deadlines
iii. Event Plans and Evaluations
iv. Expanding Trainings and Workshops
v. Life After HEERF
President's Goals 2025/26
- Ensuring that people see, feel, and believe that their safety is our TOP PRIORITY.
- Embodying what YOU BELONG HERE truly means across campus.
- Reinstate the City College Campus Culture Committee to host monthly meetings and events to support a Caring Campus culture.
- Continue to work with People and Culture to support a caring campus.
- Host more events for new faculty and classified professionals to interact with actively engaged employees.
- Take 10-20 faculty/classified professionals to lunch or dinner each semester.
- Write 5-10 faculty/classified professionals handwritten notes per month.
- Host a networking event in September to bring faculty/classified professionals/administration together.
- Host a Hope Dealer acknowledgment event for actively engaged employees.
- Identify successful programs to present at local and national conferences. Feature these efforts in our monthly newsletter.
- Becoming an AAPI, BSI, HSI, and Veteran serving institution.
- Engage more frequently with students, ASG, learning communities, and student clubs.
- Visit 5-10 classes per semester.
- Host a student forum each semester.
- Develop a Black Student Success Center.
- Develop a monthly student success newsletter.
- Take 5-10 students to lunch or dinner each semester.
- Write 5-10 students handwritten notes per month.
- Maximize the SCFF (increase FAFSA submissions by 15%-20%).
- Expand the Promise Bundles into a First- and Second-Year Experience programs.
- Build out a concurrent enrollment model where high school students take classes on campus.
- Improve pathways from non-credit to credit by 10%.
- Increase credit for prior learning by 10%.
- Effective promotion of night/evening and career education programs via promotional materials, videos, and student stories.
- Participate in the second state SEM project to build a two-year schedule.
- Launching efforts to develop a Barber certificate program to address equity and social justice needs in the field of cosmetology.
- Enrollment data is now included in weekly and monthly campus updates.
- Explore models for contract education. Pilot continuing education units for childcare workers with The Neighborhood House in Spring 2026.
- Reduce the end-of-year balance to $500,000 or less.
- Reduce the number of journal entries by 90%. Implement a process whereby journal entries are entered within 30 days.
- Work with the district Business Office to schedule ongoing professional development and modules to better predict spending and align the college’s budget to the CAM.
- Continuing to grow grant awards, outside funding, and donor relations via enhancing the City College Foundation.
