Mr. John C. Eggler

 

 

Annual Faculty Lecturer 1993-1994

 

JOHN C. EGGLER was born in the border area of Nogales, Arizona. Living in this area influenced the development of his bilingualism and biculturalism, and created in him a great love for Mexican and South-western history.

 

He came to Santa Barbara in 1958, where he attended local schools. After high school graduation, he attended the University of California at Santa Barbara. After a year at UCSB, he attended Santa Barbara City College because of illness and financial constraints. John believes the education he received at SBCC was instrumental in preparing him for upper division work. The excellence in teaching and the compassion of his instructors made him decide that he wanted to be a community college teacher. To this day, he has a deep love for SBCC, with its continuing reputation as one of the best two-year colleges in the nation.

 

HE RETURNED TO UCSB and majored in Latin American and African History, receiving his B.A. and M.A. degrees. While at UCSB, he was awarded a fellowship by the Center for the Study of Developing Nations. He later began his doctoral work in the School of Education, combining English as a Second Language, Bilingual Education and Anthropology.

 

John joined the staff of SBCC in 1970 to teach Latin American, African and Mexican-American History. He developed Chicano History and Culture classes, and worked with Alfonso Hernandez, David Lawyer, Jr. and Pablo Buckelew in creating the college's American Ethnic Studies Program.

 

IN THE NEXT few years, he returned to UCSB to take course work in ESL and Bilingual Education. With this preparation, he also taught ESL for a few years.

 

John's interest in the learning processes of foreign students and in the need for American students to become acquainted with foreign cultures led to his involvement in SBCC's Education Abroad Program. He has taken student groups to Cambridge, England, and Salamanca, Spain. He has also served as faculty adviser to various clubs, including MEChA.

 

HE HAS BEEN the chair and co-chair of the American Ethnic Studies Department. He has also served three times on the Academic Senate Representative Council and was chair of the Faculty Enrichment Committee for three years. Currently, he is chairperson of the History Department.

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