San Diego Mesa College is a public, two-year community college perched on a mesa in the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego, California in the United States. It is the largest community college in the city of San Diego and part of the San Diego Community College District along with San Diego City College, San Diego Miramar College and San Diego Continuing Education. The college is known informally as Mesa College or Mesa. Mesa College is one of the 112 California Community Colleges and the 16th largest community college in the state. Community college education in San Diego began in 1914 when the Board of Education of the San Diego City Schools authorized postsecondary classes for San Diego high school students. Classes opened with four faculty members serving 35 students. San Diego Mesa College first opened in 1964. Initially offering education to 1,800 students, it has grown to become one of the largest community colleges in California. Between 1965 and 1968 the college newspaper, The Olympian, was produced by the journalism students under the supervision of Richard H. Tarquinio, the journalism instructor.