San Diego City Wire

The San Diego Foundation pledged $200,000 toward the San Diego Promise program on Feb. 25 in honor of San Diego Community College District's (SDCCD) Chancellor Constance M. Carrol for her 17 years of service.

"Through both her career and volunteerism, Dr. Constance Carroll embodies the values of integrity, community and collaboration in everything she does," Mark Stuart, president and CEO of The San Diego Foundation, said in the foundation's release. "As chancellor, she has built a community college model that other institutions now follow. This donation honors Dr. Carroll's legacy and will help countless San Diegans pursue their academic dreams."

The $200,000 donation is part of a $1 million campaign to remove financial barriers to any who seek higher education; $100,000 of this pledge will be given outright while the remaining $100,000 donation will be made once a similar amount of funds is donated to the SDCCD.

Carrol helped establish the San Diego Promise as a pilot program in 2016 to help students overcome financial barriers and earn their college degrees.

While the pilot program initially began with just 186 students, today, the San Diego Promise has covered two years of tuition and fees at San Diego, Mesa and Miramar colleges for more than 6,600 students, with approximately 3,600 being from the current academic year.

"The San Diego Promise is removing barriers that too many students without adequate financial means face every day," Carroll said in the release. "I am honored by this generous gift which will directly benefit local students and spur additional philanthropic support from others in the community."

Carrol's legacy will be celebrated later with a Sept. 18 gala called "A Legacy of Achievement: A Tribute to Chancellor Constance M. Carrol, Ph.d."