Ventura College was ranked 40th in the nation, with Oxnard College coming in at 50th, according to a survey conducted by Community College Week, a Fairfax, Va.-based newspaper for college administrators, faculty and trustees.

The survey, "The View From the Top: The Top 100 Associate's Degree Producers," is based on preliminary data for the 2001 to 2002 academic year provided by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics.

In total numbers, Ventura College awarded 271 degrees to Hispanics during the survey period, with Oxnard awarding 248.

For Ventura College, the recent survey shows an improvement from its 43rd ranking reported the prior year. Oxnard College, however, fell from 35th. Moorpark College failed to break the top 100 in this year's survey after being ranked 74th the prior year.

Colleges use the survey data to provide them with a measure of their diversity programs, said Scott Cech, editor of Community College Week.

"They use these numbers to see if they are achieving their goals," he said. "A lot of local colleges use it for marketing efforts to show how much they are reflecting their communities. It also enables administrators to show concrete programs and correlate that to funding levels."

Cech said community colleges appear to be leading the way in representing ethnic diversity in their communities.

"We just put out an issue on diversity on how well community colleges reflect the palette of diversity around them better than other sectors -- better than universities" or other educational institutions, he said.

The statistics verify Ventura College's success in serving those who have traditionally had limited access to higher education, said Larry A. Calderon, the college's president.

The college is very pleased to rank high on the list given the relatively small size of Ventura College compared to other institutions nationwide, said Alisa Moore, spokeswoman for Ventura College.

Officials at Oxnard College were also excited to be once again among the top-ranked institutions in the nation.

"This also establishes a standard that we can meet and grow from year to year," said Catherine Garnica, spokeswoman for Oxnard College.

"Part of the mission of Oxnard College is to provide services to a diverse community," through such services as financial aid, instructional programs, child care and textbook support, she said.

Ventura College was also ranked 80th in the nation for associate's degrees awarded in all disciplines to all minorities, improving from the 89th position reported the prior year.

Oxnard College failed to crack the top 100 in that category, after being 94th the prior year.

However, Garnica said, the college will continue to work hard to provide more programs to meet the needs of African-American, Filipino and other ethnic communities.