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College Statements

Vision, 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.”

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.

District Strategic Priorities CSM Institutional Priorities
Develop and strengthen educational offerings, interventions, and support programs that increase student access & success. CSM focuses on teaching and learning, and prioritizes student-focused support, especially relating to antiracism/ equity work that supports access and success for students most in need.
Establish and expand relationships with school districts, 4-year college partners, and community-based organizations to increase higher education attainment in San Mateo County. CSM calls for community partnerships to support stronger teaching and learning. This also aligns with the emphasis on effective internal and external communications.
Increase program delivery options, including the expanded use of instructional technology, to support student learning and success. CSM’s teaching and learning make innovative use of new technology; strategic planning is required to develop de­livery options that speak to student need, as well as stu­dent-focused support to ensure students are well served in different modalities.
Ensure necessary resources are available to implement this strategic plan through sound fiscal planning and management of allocations. Strategic planning supports sound allocation of CSM’s resources. Planning also calls for effective communication, both internal and external.

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.

Approved by Institutional Planning Committee, November 2, 2022
Approved by Board of Trustees, November 30, 2022