The events of Summer 2020 added urgency to the College’s equity and antiracism efforts. Following an urgent discussion at Management Council in early June of that year, a cross-constituency group set to work on crafting a statement as an “attempt to respond to a distress call that might have been missed” (Institutional Planning Committee minutes 12/2/20). The Solidarity Statement was reviewed by the Director of Equity, discussed and endorsed by Academic and Classified Senates, and ultimately approved by CSM’s Institutional Planning Committee on January 20, 2021.

The Solidarity Statement articulates the College’s commitment to serving hyper-marginalized students of all kinds. It is a kind of pledge — to not be satisfied with the status quo, or with the “best” that we can do, but to keep pushing ahead to look for ways to do better by those students who rely on us, and whom we so often fail. The task it outlines (to “dismantle our own oppressive college systems”) is an ambitious and as-yet undefined one. The work of the coming years will consist in deciding what, exactly, this means, identifying and implementing changes, and measuring their effectiveness.

In March 2022, a revision to the existing “College Mission & Values Statements” was submitted to a still-ongoing participatory governance process. This outlines a proposed statement of our aspirations (vision); our focus (mission); and the practices that we, as a college, can develop to achieve our mission (values).

Vision: To deliver a liberatory education that inspires individual achievement and generational impacts.

Mission: We are the community’s college. College of San Mateo creates access and inclusion, fosters academic excellence, and ensures equitable outcomes so students can realize their full potential.

Values:

• Accountability: We value continuous improvement as a way to demonstrate our commitment to high-quality programs and services.
• Authentic Care: We value love as praxis.
• Celebration: We value celebrating both personal and professional accomplishments, milestones, and achievements.
• Critical Reflection: We value critical self-analysis of our deeply held assumptions.
• Empowerment: We value empowerment as a means to liberation.
• Excellence: We value and maintain CSM’s legacy of excellence in education.
• Growth (Personal & Professional): We value personal and professional enrichment for all members of our campus community.
• Inspiration & Innovation: We value inspiration and innovation as a means to improvement.
• Integrity: We value acting with integrity in thought and deed.
• Solidarity: We value cross-collaboration and working to “yes.”

These define our commitment to the practices that will bring our vision and values to fruition.

• Be Great for Our Students
  College of San Mateo is committed to being a campus that is antiracist, equity-advancing, and focused on academic excellence.
• Engage in Thoughtful Inquiry
  We are committed to critically examining our policies and practices, utilizing self-reflective inquiry, critical reflection, and data-informed decision making
• Inspire & Innovate
  Foster an environment where we can be brave and open to create ways educate, engage, and support students, employees, and the community
• Reflect & Connect
  We commit to honoring one another in our practice by allocating time to support one another with humility, trust, and respect
• Commit to Continuous Improvement
  As members of the CSM community, we strive to improve individually and collectively as we deliberately and continuously assess/evaluate our practices, policies, and procedures to promote accountability to CSM students.

The work of these leadership commitments is shaped by our Institutional Priorities (Management Council 3/14/2022). Our priorities are:

• Antiracism/Equity
• Community Partnerships
• Effective Communication
• Strategic Planning
• Student-Focused Support
• Teaching and Learning

These in turn align with our District’s Strategic Priorities, as outlined below.