CSM Flex Day Schedule
Theme: Preparing for the Future Now: Cultivating Accessible Pathways for Student Success
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
Service Closures
Please note that all College programs, services, and offices will be closed on Wednesday, October 7, so that classified staff, faculty, and administrators can participate.
Zoom Login
For security purposes, we require that Zoom participants be signed in to their SMCCCD Zoom account. You can test your Zoom access in advance and submit an ITS helpdesk request if you have trouble.
Registration Instructions
We ask that you register for each session you plan to attend so we can accurately anticipate numbers and message participants if needed. To RSVP for a session, click on the "Register" button that follows that session.
Once in the Vision Resource Center, click on the blue button in the bottom right corner
that says "Request" (
). You should receive an email confirmation (with a calendar invite) for each session.
If you are denied access to the registration system, it means one of two things:
- You are not signed in with your employee single sign-on. Please sign in with OneLogin and try again.
- You are one of a small number of employees whose "active employee" record has not been updated in the District's HR database, preventing you from accessing the Vision Resource Center. Follow up with your division assistant to ensure your hiring paperwork has been filed; if you are still unable to access, contact Susan Khan with your G number, and feel free to attend sessions in the meantime. They can be added to your transcript retroactively.
Faculty Flex Day Obligations
See our Frequently Asked Questions page for the latest details about faculty flex obligations and compensation for hourly (adjunct and retired) faculty.
Modality Options: 
in person 
online both in person and online
Morning All-Campus Sessions
| Time | Title | Modality |
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8:30-9:00 |
BreakfastLocation: Bayview Dining Room, Building 10 (map)
Enjoy a yogurt parfait bar, pastries, fruit, coffee and tea service, as well as the chance to connect with colleagues.
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9:00-9:20 .5 flex credit hour
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Welcome & Opening RemarksLocation: Bayview Dining Room, Building 10 (map) and Zoom
Our leadership team will share important college-wide updates to kick-start our day of learning together.
This session is open to all employees.
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9:30-11:10 2 flex credit hours |
Student Panel: Voices of CSM: Understanding the Students We Serve in a Changing WorldModerator: Jane Southwick, Counseling Faculty Panelists: Matthew Ashling, Kingston Hua, Maria Gorriceta, Alec Valencia, CSM Students Location: Bayview Dining Room, Building 10 (map) and Zoom
This opening panel brings current and recent CSM students directly into the conversation to help faculty and staff deeply understand the diverse community we serve and the futures we make possible. Panelists will share their stories, unique academic paths, and career goals driving their educational journeys. By examining their real-world personal challenges alongside their most promising campus experiences, this session illuminates student perspectives on our theme: Preparing for the Future Now: Cultivating Accessible Pathways for Student Success.
This session is open to all employees.
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Late Morning Sessions
| Time | Title | Modality |
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11:20-12:20 1 flex credit hour |
From the Classroom to the Workplace: Connecting CSM Students with the Job MarketFacilitators: Nate Jackson, Workforce Development Program Services Coordinator; Jane Southwick, Career Counselor and Instructor; Phil Tran, Business Faculty Location: Building 10, Room 195 (map) and Zoom
This dynamic session is designed for CSM faculty and staff eager to align classroom instruction and student support with modern career paths. Learn about current and future initiatives in Workforce Development and Career Counseling that actively link students to employers. Gain insights into the latest industry and student trends to keep your curriculum and programs relevant. Engage in meaningful discussions with colleagues to build stronger, cross-campus networks that support student success and social mobility.
This session is open to all employees.
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11:20-12:20 1 flex credit hour |
Move & ConnectFacilitator: Makiko Uedo, Personal Counseling Faculty Location: CSM Theatre Building 3 (map)
Body music will be introduced through experiential exercises that use the body to create sound and movement. Moving together with others can support physical and emotional well-being, and research shows that rhythmic movement can positively affect the nervous system, helping reduce stress, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms while increasing connection with others. No prior music or dance experience is necessary. Come as you are, and let’s have fun moving our bodies and making sounds together. This workshop includes a brief lecture on the connection between the nervous system and mental health.
This session is open to all employees.
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11:20-12:20 1 flex credit hour |
Honors Project Info SessionPresenters: Sarah Fama, Instructional Aide II; Hellen Pacheco, Computer Science Faculty; Tim Maxwell, English Faculty; Lena Feinman, Math Faculty Location: Building 18, Room 206 (map) and Zoom
Are you passionate about mentoring students? Are you curious about the Honors Project and how it supports student success? Are you a current Honors Project foundation instructor hoping to connect with your fellow faculty mentors? Join this session! Experienced Honors Project instructors will introduce attendees to the Honors Project and explain how faculty can support students, whether by encouraging promising students to apply, or by serving as mentors to students enrolled in the program. Future and current faculty mentors will get a chance to connect and share stories of student success!
This session is open to all employees.
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11:20-12:20 1 flex credit hour |
Learning Centers/Labs on the CSM Campus Meet and TourFacilitators: Jill Haberlin, Instructional Aide II; Margaret McGugan, Instructional Aide II Location: CSM Writing Center, Building 18, Room 104 (map)
Join staff from across CSM’s academic learning centers and support labs for a collaborative, cross-center knowledge-exchange session. Presenters from each center will provide a high-level overview of their core services, staffing models (e.g., faculty vs. peer tutoring), and primary scheduling/access platforms. Designed to build stronger alignment across campus, this interactive session will help faculty and staff better understand the full spectrum of support available to CSM students, leading to more accurate referrals, shared best practices, and a more seamless student experience.
This session is open to all employees.
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11:20-12:20 1 flex credit hour |
What is Strategic Enrollment Management? (And Why Does it Matter?)Facilitators: Alex Claxton, Dean of Planning, Research, Innovation, and Effectiveness (PRIE); Alex Guiriba, VP of Student Services; Daniel Keller, English Faculty and Academic Senate President, Lauren Servais, VP of Instruction Location: Building 10, Room 468 (map) and Zoom
Please join us for the first of a series of convenings to explore strategic enrollment management at CSM. This session is open to all who are curious about the June 2025 Board Recommendations and who would like to engage in inquiry and conversation about how to move forward. We will discuss questions like: How do we ensure that our schedule of classes meets the learning needs of our community? How does efficiency, load, productivity, etc. help us facilitate student learning and success? If we are to meet our instructional vision of liberatory education, then how ought our schedule serve as our foundation? Join us to learn, critically reflect, determine our next steps, and lift up the powerful learning happening across CSM.
This session is open to all employees.
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Lunch
| Time | Title | Modality |
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12:30-1:30 |
LunchLocation: Bayview Dining Room, Building 10 (map)
Please join us for a buffet-style burger/hot dog bar (veggie burgers available, too), along with the opportunity to relax and meet up with colleagues before our afternoon sessions.
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Early Afternoon Sessions
| Time (may vary) | Title | Modality |
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1:40-3:10 |
Workforce 101: Your Cheat Sheet to Funding, Data, and Employer ConnectionsPresenters: Crystal Arrizón, Director of Workforce Development; Michelle Simotas, Dean of Strategic Partnerships & Workforce Development Location: Building 10, Room 195 (map)
New to workforce development or want a refresher? This session introduces Strategic Planning and Workforce Development's role at CSM, walks through Perkins and Strong Workforce funding, and points to labor market data and employer engagement resources that help programs build strong career pathways and outcomes for students.
This session is open to all employees.
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1:40-3:10 1.5 flex credit hours |
Discover the Overlooked Architecture of the College of San MateoPresenter: Josh Weinberg, Photographer & CSM Alumni Facilitator: Steph Roach, Interim Director of the Learning Commons Sponsor: CSM Library's Archive and Historical Photographs Collection Location: Meet at the Fine Arts Courtyard (Outside Theatre Building 3) (map)
Participants will enjoy a walking tour of the College of San Mateo Campus in which they learn about the history of the Neo-Formalist campus architecture. Designed by John Carl Warnecke, and completed in 1963, the architecture has been praised by architectural historians and won awards between 1966-1968. Come learn more about the campus! The history of changes in the campus over time help inform us about priorities when the campus was built and what has changed since then--accessibility, sustainability, changing aesthetics, costs, etc. Additionally, how do improvements or other changes to the architecture on campus serve today's and future students? How or to what extent does this reflect the initial vision for the college's architecture by John Carl Warnecke?
This session is open to all employees.
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1:40-3:10 1.5 flex credit hours |
What Do I Do Now? Help!: Providing Support During Challenging Student InteractionsPresenters: Hirania Gonzalez and Justin Kawakami, Program Services Coordinators, Disability Resource Center (DRC) Location: Building 10, Room 194 (map)
Join other Classified Staff in a workshop to work through scenarios based on everyday interactions with students. We will review universal best practices that staff can use when working with students. We will discuss with fellow classified staff the challenges that we all face and brainstorm ways to address these challenges as a campus community.
This session is open to all employees but is designed with Classified employees in mind.
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1:40-3:10 1.5 flex credit hours |
REAL Teaching Launchpad Series: Designing Assignments/Assessments for Equity & AccessibilityFacilitator: Susan Khan, Professional Development Faculty Coordinator Location: Zoom
Are you in your first five years of teaching (or new to teaching in a community college or at CSM)? This workshop series is for you! Join us every Flex Day for the chance to get to know other new faculty and to discuss how we design assignments/assessments for equity and accessibility. We will use as our framework the REAL Guide, a self-assessment course design tool created by faculty, staff, and students here at CSM. After reviewing the "key principles" identified in the Guide and hearing about some time-tested strategies, we will break into smaller groups for conversation and sharing of strategies.
This session is open to all employees.
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1:40-2:40 1 flex credit hours |
Laying the Foundation: A Stakeholder Engagement Session on CSM’s Student HousingPresenter: Michele Rudovsky, Chief Facilities and Operations Officer Location: Building 10, Room 468 (map) and Zoom
The walls are going up, and so is the opportunity to shape what happens inside them. The District's 316-bed student housing project at CSM is under construction, with the first residents expected to move in by Fall 2028. The services, support systems, and cross-campus partnerships are critical to make this home for our students. In this HyFlex listening and engagement session, Michele Rudovsky and Alex Guiriba will share where the project stands and what's ahead, then turn the floor over to you. Faculty, classified professionals, administrators, and students are invited to raise questions, offer ideas, and help us center equity in how housing will support our students. Come help us plan for the future now, while there's still time to build your insight into the foundation.
This session is open to all employees.
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Mid Afternoon Sessions
| Time | Title | Modality |
|---|---|---|
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3:20-4:20 1 flex credit hour |
"Dissecting 17th Century European Still Life through Scientific Illustration" -- a Showcase of Cross-campus Collaboration and Student Show.Presenters: Cheyanne Cortez, Art History Faculty; Zina Deretsky, Studio Art Faculty Location: CSM Theatre Lobby, Building 3 (map)
This session will be an on-site walk-through and talk about the student show "Dissecting 17th Century European Still Life through Scientific Illustration" in CSM's Theater Lobby designed to introduce participants to the exhibition and the creative process behind its development. The goal of the Flex session is not for faculty to replicate the project, but to use the experience as a catalyst for imagining what creative and collaborative possibilities might be developed in their own classrooms.
This session is open to all employees.
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3:20-4:20 1 flex credit hour
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WebSMART Faculty Services Info SessionPresenter: Karrie Mitchell, VP of Planning, Research, and Institutional Effectiveness (PRIE), SMCCCD Location: Zoom
Description TBA
This session is open to all employees.
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3:20-4:20 1 flex credit hour |
Closed Session: QOTL Recertification Pilot Kick-OffPresenters: Julieth Diaz Benitez, Instructional Design Faculty; Christopher Collins, District PD Coordinator; Erica Reynolds, Instructional Technologist Location: Zoom (link will be shared via calendar invite)
This session constitutes the orientation portion of the QOTL Recertification. "QOTL-R" is being piloted this academic year as part of the District's distance education training series for faculty teaching online courses, after QOTL-Level 2. This orientation session is dedicated to instructors who are due for renewing their DE training and who previously signed up for the QOTL-R pilot.
This session is open to faculty who are due for DE training renewal after completing QOTL2.
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3:20-4:20 1 flex credit hour |
Classified Professional Learning ForumFacilitator: Fauzi Hamadeh Location: Building 10, Room 195 (map)
Join your Classified colleagues to provide input and feedback on possible future professional learning opportunities. This is your chance to give direct feedback on the types of activities you would like to see, both for individuals and for our Classified professionals as a whole. Tell us what works, what doesn't, and what needs refining. We will have a large group discussion and brainstorming to identify future learning opportunities.
This session is open to Classified employees.
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3:20-4:20 1 flex credit hour |
Final Flex Day Reflections with CabinetFacilitators: Manuel Alejandro Pérez, President; Lauren Servais, Vice President of Instruction;
Alex Guiriba, Vice President of Student Services; Gerardo Ramirez, Vice President
of Administrative Services; David Galvez, Director of Equity; Alex Claxton, Dean of Location: Building 10, Room 468 (map) and Zoom
Join the executive leadership team for the opportunity to ask questions and reflect on the day.
This session is open to all employees.
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Asynchronous Options
| Time | Title | Modality |
|---|---|---|
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Asynchronous 1-2 flex credit hours |
Complete an SMCCCD MicrocourseHave you ever wanted to learn more about a specific topic related to teaching and learning but have limited time to commit? Are you looking for opportunities to learn in small doses on your own time?
We invite you to take advantage of the SMCCCD microcourses. These are self-paced, asynchronous learning experiences that focus on specific topics of interest. Each microcourse takes 1-2 hours to complete, and you can self-enroll at any time. Upon completion, you will receive constructive feedback and a digital badge. Microcourses may be counted toward Flex credits. Complete one during Flex Day for automatic flex credit.
Current microcourses available:
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Asynchronous 1-5 flex credit hours |
Complete an Equity-Centered Learning Opportunity (ECLO)The Equity-Centered Learning Opportunities (ECLO) is a new pilot project funded out of the recent Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative (IEPI) grant that supports and expands the development of new equity-centered learning opportunities that are focused on the needs and interests of classified employees but also support campus-wide professional learning. These ECLO’s have been developed by CSM employees (classified, faculty, and students) over the course of the Spring 2026 semester and cover a range of topics. All employee classifications are welcome to participate in these short (1.5-5 hours), focused, and self-paced Canvas trainings. You can self-enroll at any time. Completing one during Flex Day counts toward automatic flex credit. If you have any questions regarding the ECLOs please reach out to Marisol Quevedo (quevedom@smccd.edu).
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Questions or recommendations? Email Professional Development Faculty Coordinator Susan Khan.
October 7, 2026
November 7-9, 2026
November 26-29, 2026