Conclusion

Today's campus is a testimony to the community's faith in College of San Mateo. CSM, in turn, reciprocates with a commitment to being the community's college.

What does being “the community’s college” mean?

It means that we work continually to serve our entire community. It means taking seriously our role in helping to improve the lives and prospects of our community members, by doing everything we can to create a clear, well-lit, and uncluttered path into and through college towards whatever educational goals students set out to achieve. It means working with legislators to support students in our community, as has been done with SB 893. It means developing support services that ensure students are not disadvantaged by a lack of financial, academic, or personal resources. It means that we value collaboration with our community at every level: its workforce, its high schools, its businesses, and above all, its residents. Finally, it means creating a college campus and culture that is antiracist, welcoming, inclusive, and celebratory — a campus that increasingly looks and sounds like our community.

All of CSM’s efforts — in participatory governance, teaching and learning, strategic planning, and student support — rest on a shared vision, shared responsibilities, and a shared understanding of our work.