CSM Centennial Gala
College leaders, alumni, students and community members gathered at Burlingame’s Kohl Mansion to celebrate 100 years of academic excellence
With high hopes for a bright future, the College of San Mateo community gathered at Burlingame’s Kohl Mansion on March 31 for a Centennial Gala marking CSM’s first hundred years.
The event brought together trustees, faculty, alumni, community leaders and, not least, more than 80 CSM students to dine, dance and celebrate the college’s rich history and promising future.
College President Jennifer Taylor-Mendoza hailed the college’s legacy of equity and accomplishment. She spotlighted the event’s mission as a fundraising kickoff for CSM’s Promise Scholars Program, quoting Cesar Chavez and leading the crowd in choruses of “¡Si se puede!” (Yes, we can!)
San Mateo Community College District Chancellor Michael Clare praised the public’s support for crucial new construction in the 21st century, including three successful bond measures that funded such buildings as 2010’s new Science Building at the CSM campus.
District Board of Trustees President Richard Holober spoke about the many changes that have taken place at CSM during his 25-year tenure as a trustee. He also highlighted a few things that haven’t changed, most importantly the Board’s unwavering commitment to removing barriers to student access and achievement.
Alumnus Bill Ring, a former running back for the San Francisco 49ers, keynoted the gala with a heartfelt talk about how well CSM prepared him for success in and out of football. His words emphasized CSM’s sense of family, especially because his son Billy also played for the Bulldogs and built the foundations for a San Jose State football career and economics degree.
Retired KCBS Sports Director and alumnus Hal Ramey, as master of ceremonies, noted that CSM has produced 19 Super Bowl players and coaches. Ramey also recognized his mentor Dan Odum, longtime professor in CSM’s exceptional broadcasting program.
Bulldog cheerleaders greeted guests, and members of the football team performed a haka, a traditional Maori performance of respect and resolve, for the crowd.
Perhaps the highlight of the evening was a poem by student body president Andrea Morales, whose passionate resolve to become “a fabulous Latina doctor” despite challenges brought tears to many eyes:
We are powerful, our voices are loud,
We bring the opportunities to ourselves because
We are taught that opportunities will not come to us
The same way they come to them.
Yes, we are the firsts in our families to have an education.
Yes, we are our family's support system.
Yes, we believe.
Though what we believe is that
We have to commit to our dreams and
Work a million times harder
to make our dreams come true.
So, let us say, “Si se puede.” yes we can.
Morales, who came to the United States as a child from Guatemala, is one of roughly 400 Promise Scholars at CSM. They receive counseling and mentoring as well as financial incentives and support to succeed in college. Through 2022, the SMCCC Foundation aims to raise $1 million to extend the Promise Scholars program to more eligible students.
CSM is California’s eighth-oldest community college. Opening in 1922 as San Mateo Junior College with 35 students, it has grown to be part of a three-college district serving 30,000 students. The gala’s event venue, a historic home that is now part of Mercy High School, has special resonance to CSM because one of its first campuses was an old Victorian home built by the same family. From 1923 to 1927, classes met in the Kohl Mansion in what is now San Mateo Central Park. The college moved to its current Hillsdale Boulevard campus in 1963.
Many beloved community institutions got their start as CSM instructional resources, including the San Mateo County History Museum, Hillbarn Theater, Masterworks Chorale and KCSM-FM.
Noted alumni include U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman, Olympic medalists Archie Williams and Greg Buckingham, genetics researcher J. Craig Venter, TV personality Merv Griffin and musicians Lindsay Buckingham and Phil Lesh.
Centennial celebrations continue at College of San Mateo through 2022, including a return of Jazz on the Hill on July 23.
