Friday, February 25, 2022

Welcome to College of San Mateo's Centennial Newsletter

Welcome to the inaugural edition of College of San Mateo's Centennial Newsletter! This is a particularly exciting year here at CSM as we approach March 31, the same day the college was established by voters in 1922.

Thank you for signing up for this newsletter, and if you’ve already purchased a ticket to our Centennial Gala, we truly appreciate your support and look forward to celebrating the college’s rich, multifaceted history with you at the event.

This Centennial Newsletter will be published once a month throughout the duration of this year-long celebration and will ensure that you're the first to know about the many special activities, events, and happenings centered around CSM's centennial.

San Mateo County Community Colleges Foundation Supports CSM Centennial

San Mateo County Community Colleges Foundation (SMCCCF) is proud to partner with College of San Mateo in celebrating its 100 years of academic excellence, student support, and community solidarity. SMCCCF raises funds for student scholarships and school programs at the three community colleges in San Mateo County: College of San Mateo, Cañada College, and Skyline College. In this centennial year, the Foundation is fundraising for CSM’s Promise Scholars Program, a completion and retention support program that dramatically increases graduation rates by providing resources and services that support student success.

Khalid Shatrat, former CSM Promise Scholar Student

SMCCCF is also sponsoring CSM’s centennial events including, the Centennial Gala on March 31 at Kohl Mansion, Jazz on the Hill in July, and the Golf Tournament on September 19 at the Half Moon Bay Golf Links. To become a supporter of CSM in this 100th anniversary year, visit the Centennial website.

Centennial Gala Tickets for the General Public

The year-long centennial celebration kicks off on March 31, 2022, with the Centennial Gala at Kohl Mansion in Burlingame. General community tickets are now on sale for $275 each.

Please visit the Centennial Gala webpage for more information.

Centennial Story Series: Archie Williams

Archie Franklin Williams ’35 (1915-1993) grew up in Oakland. His parents rented their third-floor rooms to UC Berkeley students, including one who “would give us younger kids a whack on the rear if we got to be a nuisance” during studying. Archie got indifferent grades at in high school but dreamed of flight and excelled at building model airplanes, once winning an award from the OaklandTribune.

In 1934, the East Bay did not yet have a junior college. So Williams enrolled at CSM (then San Mateo Junior College) with the goal of transferring into Cal’s engineering program.

At CSM, Williams laid the math and science groundwork that would help him to become one of the first African-American flight instructors, one of the first Black meteorologists, and a STEM teacher. As an educator, he was so beloved that a movement was launched in 2017 to rename his former workplace, Novato’s Sir Francis Drake High School, after him...