As schools across California adopt the CSU requirement, Fullerton College welcomes the change of the Ethnic Studies Department to the Division of Ethnic Studies. Dr. Ziza Delgado-Noguera, interim dean of ethnic studies, welcomes students to the Fall 2025 academic semester and offers an opportunity to build bridges.

“It became discussed during the consultative process in shared governance last academic year,” said Fullerton College President Dr. Cynthia Olivo. “Even though it was an operational decision, it was still thought of as a good idea to take the proposal around so that faculty, staff, management, and students could all hear the vision.”

The expansion comes as California now requires ethnic studies for high school and CSU graduation. According to Olivo and Delgado-Noguera, they anticipate that as many as 20,000 students will enroll in the courses. To meet demand and to further aid in the increased enrollment, the college hired 30 part-time faculty last year.

“I’m really enthusiastic about the way this came about,” Olivo said. “It’s the faculty working collaboratively with administration, and the whole campus groups, classified staff, faculty, managers, everyone, and students, everyone heard the proposal and thought, wow, it’s really a win-win.”

Ethnic studies faculty at Fullerton College have long shaped campus traditions. Initiatives such as Kinder Caminata, the Día de los Muertos celebration, and early campus food drives were all founded by ethnic studies professors.

“These trailblazers created practices we still do today and that have formed the ethos of this college that cares so much about its students,” Olivo said.

Delgado-Noguera was appointed as the interim dean in early September.

“Our first day as a division was Convocation Fall 2025, where we had our first division meeting,” Delgado-Noguera said.

The new division unites African American and Black Studies, Chicanx and Latinx Studies, Asian American Pacific Islander Desi American Studies, and American Indian and Indigenous Studies.

The division has already extended its reach beyond campus. Over the summer, more than 200 Anaheim Union High School students took dual-enrollment ethnic studies courses taught by Fullerton College faculty.

“What an honor to lead this first division of ethnic studies. It’s my job to make the transition as smooth as possible for the faculty, for our new staff, and for our students,” said Delgado-Noguera.