About Us

Foothill-De Anza Community College District:

The Sofia initiative is led by Foothill College's Learning Technology & Innovations program. Foothill College's reputation for excellence dates back to its founders when Superintendent/President Calvin C. Flint led the design and construction of a dynamic facility that set a new standard for quality in community colleges, garnered several architectural awards and earned national accolades. As one of the first community colleges in California to offer online classes, Foothill pioneered the use of online course management systems (CMS) with its ETUDES software. Foothill is now participating in the Sakai project and is building upon the open source software for its next generation CMS, ETUDES-NG. Foothill has been recognized for its excellence in online instruction by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office.

Foothill-De Anza Community College District provides high quality educational opportunities that promote development of individual abilities and enhance the quality of community life. Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Foothill-De Anza serves the communities of Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Stanford, Sunnyvale, and portions of San Jose. For more than 40 years, Foothill-De Anza has demonstrated excellence and innovation in academic programs and student services. As one of the largest community college districts in the United States, Foothill-De Anza provides credit classes for about 44,000 students per quarter. The colleges are active members of the League for Innovation in the Community College, a national consortium of leading two-year institutions.

Foundation Support:

Sofia would not be possible without the generosity and support of The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation that awarded a grant to the Foothill - De Anza Community College District to lead the establishment of an open courseware initiative for community colleges. The grant will make exemplary community college-level academic content freely accessible on the Web. The long-term vision is to broaden participation in the initiative, promoting openness, sharing, and collaboration globally.

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, incorporated as a private foundation in 1966, was established by the late Palo Alto, CA, industrialist William R. Hewlett, his wife, Flora Lamson Hewlett, and their eldest son, Walter B. Hewlett. Headquartered in Menlo Park, CA, the foundation concentrates its resources on activities in conflict resolution, education, environment, performing arts, population, and U.S.-Latin American relations.