Long Beach City College used its 18th annual State of the College on Thursday to spotlight rising enrollment and a growing slate of student supports, from emergency grants and immigration resources to a planned on-campus residence hall.
Speaking at the Bob and Barbara Ellis Auditorium on Jan. 29, Superintendent-President Dr. Mike Muñoz told attendees that LBCC enrolled a record 39,925 students in the 2024-25 academic year, about a 3% rise from the previous year and roughly 15% growth over two years, and that the college awarded 2,648 degrees last year, according to the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Muñoz also pointed to dual-enrollment growth, from 1,486 students in 2021 to 3,222 in 2025, and said officials had secured more than $450,000 in emergency grants that helped more than 3,000 students cover basic needs. "You belong here, and we will continue to safeguard your rights to the best of our ability," he said, the paper reported.
431 beds planned at the Liberal Arts Campus
LBCC is moving forward with a 93,000-square-foot, four-story student housing project at its Liberal Arts Campus that the college says will offer about 431 beds in a mix of studios and shared rooms. Construction is targeted to start in the fall of 2026, with an expected fall 2028 completion. Long Beach City College lists a roughly $127 million project budget and says the design emphasizes pod-style living and shared study and lounge spaces intended to bolster retention. College officials told the audience the site, at the campus core near public safety and athletic fields, is meant to connect housing directly with campus services.
Resources aimed at undocumented and mixed-status students
The district also highlighted new supports for undocumented and mixed-status students, including a web hub of resources and printed "red cards" with guidance for encounters with federal immigration agents. Long Beach City College states that "Limited Zone(s)" such as keycard-secured rooms and classrooms, while class is in session, are areas federal officers generally cannot access, and it notes that campus public safety officers "will not contact, detain, question or arrest an individual solely based on suspected undocumented immigration status." Officials tied those steps to broader basic-needs efforts that are intended to keep students in class.
Equity gains and recognition
Administrators pointed to measurable gains in student success, including double-digit increases in degree completions for Black and African American students, and framed those gains as part of the college’s broader equity work. The district's recent designation as a California Black-Serving Institution was distributed via press channels such as GlobeNewswire, which summarized the college's stated commitment to closing achievement gaps and expanding culturally sustaining supports.
What the protections mean legally
California law constrains how local authorities can cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, which is why campuses emphasize tailored policies and outreach. Legal analysts have written about the tensions between statewide sanctuary statutes and federal enforcement powers and the practical effect that has on local policies; the Columbia Law Review offers a deeper look at those legal dynamics and why colleges craft their own operational safeguards.
College leaders framed the announcements as part of a retention and equity strategy as LBCC builds toward its 100th anniversary in 2027, tying facilities and basic-needs investments to a push to convert higher enrollment into higher completion. For full event coverage and program notes, see the Long Beach Press-Telegram and the college project pages linked above.
