Highlights

The original California Education Master Plan of 1960 laid out an ambitious vision for higher education. It clarified the roles and contributions of the three branches (UC, CSU, and the community college system). In Clark Kerr’s words, it sought to balance the “competing demands of fostering excellence and guaranteeing educational access for all.” At that time, College of San Mateo already had almost forty years of service to its community. The work of “foster­ing excellence and guaranteeing educational access for all” was already well underway.

College of San Mateo’s centennial offers an opportunity to take stock, look at the emerging character of the institution, and shape our future direction.

Our focus is on improving student access and experience, through integrated holistic academic and student support programs.

All students, but especially those from neighborhoods with chronic disinvestment, benefit from a well-supported, well-lit, and easily navigable path both into and through college that values exploration and purpose. CSM, therefore, emphasizes a holistic, wrap-around approach to student services and academic support. Equity-minded placement, guided pathways, dual enrollment programs, and other initiatives — most recently, investment in academic support for transfer-level and foundational courses, as well as debt cancellation to encourage enrollment — all underscore this move to a more integrated student experience.

The College will reach out to currently underserved communities.

CSM is building on a tradition of community outreach — not only serving the students who come to college but finding underserved populations and under-resourced communities. The Coast-to-College initiative is the first of many such outreach programs.

Invaluable to this work was the passage of SB 893, a bill enabling the District to fund fees and costs for eligible students. With the financial barrier to a college education out of the way, CSM can expand access to all corners of our community.

The College has begun the work of making antiracism into a practice.

CSM is focused on exploring how we can address obstacles, both internal and external, that impede students from enrolling or achieving their academic goals. Through a variety of means, the College plans to turn antiracism into a set of policies and practices — cultural and academic — that make a difference.

There is a strong emphasis on internal collaboration, planning, and reflection.

To work together smoothly towards shared goals, the College’s many moving parts are brought together through a clear integrated planning process. Areas of the College align goals and detailed action plans with the priorities outlined in the Education Master Plan, with Program Re­view reporting on progress. CSM actively promotes op­portunities for reflection and self-interrogation.

There is an equally strong emphasis on community engagement.

Partnerships with feeder high schools (through Dual En­rollment and other programs), our local business­es (through the Strong Workforce program), our four-year transfer institutions, and others are key to our engagement with the community.