Cuesta College announces new partnership with Camp Roberts
Cuesta College will soon have staff on-site at Camp Roberts, the California National Guard training base north of San Miguel, to provide educational support to personnel and their families, according to a news release sent by the college.
The agreement, which will go into effect Aug. 3, comes shortly before classes start at Cuesta College on Aug. 17. Active personnel, their families and veterans will have access to enrollment application services, financial aid and scholarship information, and additional support services.
Staff from Cuesta College will be located in a facility with Veteran’s Family Resources at the base’s entrance.
“Having an enrollment success specialist here will help open the door to all the great educational opportunities available at Cuesta for our Guard members and civilian employees,” said Col. Robert Horvath, Camp Roberts commander.
Previously, Cuesta College had a basic relationship with Camp Roberts and was only at the base during annual outreach fairs. The new agreement is anticipated to provide post-secondary educational opportunities to those who may have never considered Cuesta College as an option, said Mark Sanchez, the college’s vice president of student services and college centers.
“We are extremely excited about being able to provide Cuesta College degree and certificate options to Camp Roberts personnel and their families, especially since so many of them live in our North County communities,” Sanchez said in a news release.
About 250,000 military and civilian personnel have trained at the 43,000-acre Camp Roberts annually since 2010, including the California National Guard, the California Prison Industry Authority, Department of Fish & Wildlife, Cal Fire and the California Highway Patrol. Though Cuesta College does not currently track where its veteran students are stationed, Sanchez said that along with the new agreement, they will build a system that allows them to follow those students.
Despite concerns around COVID-19, those at Camp Roberts will still be strongly encouraged to sign up for classes in the fall, according to Ritchie Bermudez, Cuesta College’s associate director of marketing.
Most classes at the college are online this fall due to coronavirus concerns, though some lab classes, activities and performance courses will be taught in-person with strict hygiene protocols in place to protect students and staff.
