Community college district awards contract to break ground on districtwide student housing in spring

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By Ana Mata/Daily Journal
The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.

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Districtwide student housing at College of San Mateo is inching closer to becoming a reality after the community college district’s Board of Trustees approved a $61.85 million contract with developers who intend to break ground in the spring. 

The proposed housing facility will provide 316 beds to first-generation, low-income and housing-insecure students attending any of the three colleges within the San Mateo County Community College District. 

Providing housing is just one of the many wraparound services the district looks to provide its students, board President Wayne Lee said. 

“Our mission is student first,” Lee said. “We find that providing wraparound services helps students graduate, and housing is just one component, a very important one,” Lee said. 

The contract was awarded to BHM Construction LLC, which has experience building university campus housing and proposed a contract for $6.3 million less than the construction cost estimate of $68 million, according to a staff report. 

The district initially requested for state funding in 2023, and earlier this year was awarded just under $56 million to support the design and construction of student housing. The initial proposal proposed 310 beds but was able to increase slightly during the design period, according to a staff report. 

In addition to the state’s funding, sourced by the Statewide Affordable Student Housing Program launched by the state’s community college office in 2022, the district will invest approximately $10 million into the project, according to a staff report. 

At a town hall hosted by state Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, on Dec. 9, Chancellor Melissa Moreno said the student housing will provide another level of support that builds on that same mission of the district’s offering of Free College, and making higher education accessible to all. 

“It’s going to allow for many of our students to be able to have a place to live,” Moreno said. “About 70% of students statewide are housing insecure, so this is a real problem, and we’re happy to build housing on our land at CSM to help our districtwide students.” 

Of the 116 community colleges in California, only 16 currently offer on campus student housing. 

The housing units will vary, ranging from semi-suite shared bedrooms to studio and four-bedroom apartments, according to the district. Rents will be affordable, Moreno said, and since the district owns the land it will be built on, the facility will be a “self-supporting program.” 

“The students will benefit from very low rents and we will benefit from having the funding to bring in the supports, and support students in everything they need for their housing experience,” Moreno said. 

Amenities for students are still being finalized, but Moreno said it may include a shuttle service to help students access their campuses if they’re attending Cañada College in Redwood City or Skyline College in San Bruno.

Josh Becker to introduce bill in new year to make community college free to county residents

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By Ana Mata/Daily Journal
The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.

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Following the success of the San Mateo County Community College District’s Free College pilot, a bill making the initiative a permanent program will be introduced to the California Legislature in the new year. 

Described by Chancellor Melissa Moreno as the single most effective equity initiative the district has and can implement, Free College ensures that county residents have access to higher education by waiving the enrollment fees, and in some cases costs of textbooks, transportation and technology.

Students enrolled in the district’s Free College are three times more likely to complete their educational goals and graduate than their comparable peers, Aaron McVean, vice chancellor of Educational Services and Planning. 

“The impact has been tremendous across all the communities that we serve in this district,” McVean said. 

District Trustee John Pimentel, a key proponent for free community college, said the program was made possible because the community throughout the county came together. 

The district covers the costs that are waived for qualified students, which Moreno described as a necessary investment. For the 2025-26 school year, the Board of Trustees approved allocating $12.5 million for the Free College expenses. 

“It’s a mission-driven budget line item,” Moreno said. “It’s a decision the Board of Trustees made to align the budget with the mission.” 

The ability for the district to cover the costs of the program is a critical aspect of the potential authorization of Becker’s bill to make it permanent, the state senator said. 

Free College has resulted in a 24% increase in enrollment in the two years it’s been implemented. About 70% of students are supported by Free College, and more than half of those students are first generation students, Moreno said. 

“That modest $46 a unit is actually very much a barrier for our students,” Moreno said. “This has moved the needle more than any other equity initiative that we have tried to get our first generation students coming into the college system in our impacted surrounding communities.” 

The return on investment for students is abundant as well, Skyline President Nate Carter said. 

“It’s one of the single most powerful, effective tools for economic mobility in our region, that’s unquestionable,” Carter said. “It allows families and all walks of life to access higher education in a life transforming way.” 

CSM President Manuel Alejandro Perez described Free College as a “social justice resource.” 

During the town hall, Moreno also announced the district has officially secured $56 million in state funding to develop districtwide student housing on the College of San Mateo campus. At the district’s Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday, trustees are slated to approve a contract to break ground on 314 beds in the spring, Moreno said. 

Reflecting on his time as a trustee on the board, Pimentel said working on the Free College initiative makes him the most proud. He hopes the state will yet again authorize Becker’s bill in the new year, and eventually expand the program beyond San Mateo County. 

“At the end of the day, free community college, I believe, is the most effective, efficient investment that government can make in achieving social equity,” Pimentel said.

College of San Mateo educational facility in Half Moon Bay sees more than 200 students enroll, offering 9 courses in new year

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By Ana Mata/Daily Journal
The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.

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For over a year, the College of San Mateo’s coastside campus has increased access to higher education by bringing the county’s community college district courses to a previously underserved farmworking community burdened by geography. 

The coastside campus opened its doors at 650 Mill St. in October 2024 to bring the lessons from the College of San Mateo to Half Moon Bay and connect its opportunities to families over the hill. 

At a San Mateo County Community College District trustee meeting Nov. 19 held at the Ted Adcock Community Center, Half Moon Bay was on display and celebrated by a slate of speakers reflecting on the past year of growth. 

“When you work on something for several years and you finally see it come to fruition … it makes what we do so worthwhile,” Trustee Lisa Petrides said. 

Without the new campus facility, accessing classes and higher education would be much more difficult for residents living on the coastside without consistent transportation or technology access, Half Moon Bay City Manager Matthew Chidester said. 

“The district doubled down in our community to ensure everyone, including our most vulnerable residents, would have convenient and culturally appropriate support to access education and career development opportunities,” Chidester said. 

In 2025, the coastside campus has already seen a jump in enrollments for courses — 45 new students registered for the spring term and 129 for the fall term. The educational facility is also seeing more than 70% of new students persist and enroll again, Danni Redding Lapuz, CSM acting president of instruction, said. 

“That’s what we’re looking for, that’s how the journey starts,” Lapuz said. 

The campus began offering four courses in spring 2025, and a year later for spring 2026 that will increase to nine. Subjects include art, creative writing, English for multilingual learners, fitness, film, fire technology, management, oceanography and statistics. 

Staff has also hosted 26 registration and financial aid workshops, bilingual services and more than 20 community events to grow the college’s partnership with the numerous organizations working to help residents on the coastside, Alex Guiriba, CSM vice president of Student Services, said. 

“Each event, each partnership and each conversation brings us closer to our goal, to making sure that coastside residents who dream of going to college know that CSM is here for them in their language, in their neighborhood and with the support that they deserve,” Guiriba said. 

One student enrolled in the English course is Patricia Ramirez, a native Spanish speaker looking to enhance her professional vocabulary and communication skills. 

Ramirez is a founding board member of Ayudando Latinos A Soñar, a nonprofit supporting Latino farmworkers and their families. Her enrollment is reflective of the coastside campus’ connection and impact on the community, Dr. Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga, founder of ALAS, said. 

“I’m seeing educational dreams come true, and you’re making it happen,” Hernandez-Arriaga said to the Board of Trustees. 

Looking ahead, the new campus will not only commit itself to Half Moon Bay, but expand connections up and down the coast, with the Cabrillo Unified School District and the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander farmworker community, CSM President Dr. Manuel Alejandro Pérez said. 

The College of San Mateo’s Undocumented Community Center is also looking to expand its services to the coast. In the spring, the center will offer workshops to Half Moon Bay High School seniors that will help students complete applications to the CSM, residency forms and providing family info sessions, Program Services Coordinator Martin Marquez said. 

The center will also introduce the Unlocking Futures Fellowship Program to the coast, with the first student fellow by fall 2026. The program provides undocumented student opportunities to receive financial incentives, mentorship and career development opportunities, and is offered to a cohort of 19 students across the community college district — up from 13 the year before. 

San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller, whose district represents the coastside, thanked the community college district’s staff for investing in the community. 

“Not every college institution would have done it,” Mueller said. “It is transformative for this coast, it’s transformative for the kids on this coast to know that no matter what, education is within reach.”

STEM still dominates; humanities majors see rise

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By Chris Ceguerra/Daily Journal
The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.

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Each year, media outlets and higher education think tanks highlight college trends and student behaviors, and the topic of college majors continues to spur discussions among students, families and economic analysts on the future of the job market.

Today’s technologies influence the workforce, and many students gravitate toward STEM-related programs due to their promise of higher entry-level salaries. For some San Mateo County residents, the dream is to work at the forefront of technological innovations for jobs awaiting them in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. 

Many residents and international students enroll in the San Mateo County Community College District to pursue sought-after courses that prepare them for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

In comparison, liberal arts and humanities students make up only a small portion of total enrollments at local community colleges. At Skyline College, for example, humanities majors represent 3.4% of all 6,379 major declarations in the 2024-25 academic year.

But despite the popularity of these programs, recent student data from the college district reveals a notable increase in enrollment for humanities and liberal arts majors. 

Even in small numbers, students and faculty continue to stress the importance of these disciplines. Rather than focusing on employment-related anxieties, they focus on their classes and navigate how to achieve their personal and wholesome ambitions.

It’s not always about the money

Over the last decade, technology and the emergence of generative AI has led to a decline in job openings for liberal arts and humanities graduates, a concern that many students consider when choosing their field of study.

In recent years, more people have opted out of pursuing the arts and social sciences over fears of employability. The surge of AI has reshaped everyday and professional life, and some companies use its automated or generative capabilities to execute tasks, from prescreening applications to generating content for digital marketing and advertising.

While some educators encourage students to focus on pursuing degrees and careers in lucrative fields, others offer a different perspective on navigating the arts in a wage-based economy. Among them is Emil DeAndreis, a creative writing professor at College of San Mateo, who believes the value of a degree should not be measured solely by financial gain.

For DeAndreis, he learned that most writers still depend on a full-time job to pay the bills. Even after publishing three books, his teaching career allows him to continue his craft. Still, he clarifies that this circumstance should not deter students from pursuing a degree in their respective disciplines.

“There are people, perhaps, who come into creative writing with the aspirations of publishing and making money from that,” DeAndreis said. “But oftentimes it isn’t the money that’s the end goal.”

Apart from their creative pursuits, a group of students defies the popular opinion that they should aim for six-figure starting salaries and remain steadfast in their dedication to community welfare and improvement. For many of them, their reason to pursue these majors with stricter career mobility is personal.

“Psychology can help with multiple aspects in life,” Rio Manuel from Skyline College in San Bruno said. “One example is my father, [who] has been incarcerated before, and I think it would be really good to use psychology as a rehab outlet.”

Some students also choose to pursue liberal arts in pursuit of their passion for causes and beliefs. For criminal justice student Zuleika Larria, The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids motivated her to defend the immigrant community.

“I want to help those people who are trying to come here just to live a better lifestyle because we’re lucky enough to live in America as it is,” Larria said, a student at Skyline College. “Why not share that with other people?”

The ability to improve human connection

Some advocates argue that studying the intricate aspects of the liberal arts and humanities is necessary to develop empathy and become more well-rounded citizens. Especially in a multicultural state like California, acquiring cultural competencies can be advantageous, particularly in fields such as health care, social services and business.

California higher education organizations have implemented measures to ensure that college graduates possess the tools and knowledge necessary to navigate diversity. The California State University system requires students to complete six units of arts and humanities and six units of social and behavioral sciences as part of their general education to graduate. Similarly, the requirements for the University of California system vary by campus and its respective colleges. 

The College of Letters and Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, which houses most of the liberal arts and humanities majors, requires two semesters of world language classes for students to confer their four-year degree, in addition to fulfilling campus requirements in American cultures.

Sarah Harmon, an adjunct professor of linguistics and Spanish at Cañada College in Redwood City, explains that the immediate communities benefit when more people immerse themselves in the humanities. 

“You have to study humanities and you have to study social sciences for you to relate to other human beings,” Harmon said, who holds a doctorate in linguistics. “It just has to be done.”

The allure of studying languages and cultures varies for students. From her experience teaching at the community college for almost two decades, she had students ranging from 15 to 75 years old taking her class out of interest, as a requirement, or for professional development. 

Free college program

Learning a new language and cultural nuances for community and professional settings are among the goals the college district hopes to provide. In 2022, SMCCCD launched its Free Community College initiative, which opened doors for county residents to enroll in classes at the three local community colleges without incurring tuition fees.

Last year, the initiative led to a significant 24% increase in student enrollment within the college district. Whether students take liberal arts classes as part of their degree out of personal enjoyment, San Mateo County residents could enjoy education at little to no cost. 

“Across the San Mateo County Community College District — Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College — we’ve seen an increase in enrollments in subjects such as English, history, and philosophy over the past three years,” a college district representative said in an email, crediting the growth to the success of the Free College Initiative.

Community college officials discuss strategies to finance capital improvements at all county campuses

By Ana Mata/Daily Journal
The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.

A total of $818 million in facilities improvements has been identified at the San Mateo County Community College District’s three campuses and officials are discussing strategies to pay for them — including a potential ballot measure as soon as next year. 

Over a 10-year period, the district estimates needing $595 million for prioritized capital projects identified in the facilities master plan and $223 million for ongoing scheduled maintenance at campuses, Chancellor Melissa Moreno presented at the Board of Trustees’ recent meeting. 

“Our need is much greater than available funding,” Moreno said.

At a study session in November, the board received an update on its capital improvement needs, much of which include addressing outdated buildings, establishing student housing and making facilities equitable. 

Moreno noted that this is not a proposed project list to advocate for public financing — though such a request may come in 2026. 

At Cañada College, there is an identified $92 million worth in prioritized improvements. Health and safety regulations, compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and addressing degrading systems need to be completed at the theater. There is also a request for a more walkable campus considering its topography. 

Around $255 million is identified for improvements at College of San Mateo at four targeted buildings. Health and safety upgrades must be made to the campuses’ gymnasium and its facilities maintenance center. The campus’ library was also identified as needing some slight improvements to correct ADA deficiencies, and the East Hall could use updating. 

At Skyline College, a $290 million price tag is estimated. The performing arts center has foundational issues in need of addressing and the campus’ library is also in need of updating. A significant cost will be going toward the new kinesiology and dance building. 

“It would be very difficult for me to support any measure that does not include an athletic center and kinesiology building at Skyline College,” board President Mike Guingona said. 

At all three campuses, upgrades to fiber, renewable energy technology and wayfinding must be completed, in addition to scheduled maintenance and the plans for new student housing. These items are estimated to cost around $406 million.  

These priorities will require the district to strategically source funds, especially considering the tightening state budget, Moreno said. Still, she said the district can likely account for approximately $150 million from the state, which requires the district to match the dollar amount. 

For the short term, the district has developed a $55 million “bridge fund” to fill any gaps in state funding the district may expect, and the board has been notified of potential private financing options of up to $100 million. 

Mid-term financing efforts will possibly include another general obligation bond potentially for the 2026 ballot, Moreno said. 

With the capital improvements needed in mind, the Board of Trustees approved a contract with consultant Team CivX to poll the possible success of a future bond measure, which will likely be conducted in September. 

Based on the consultant’s findings, a bond measure may be recommended to be placed on the spring or fall ballot in 2026. 

Over the past 20 years, county voters have supported the district by passing three general obligation bond measures — most recently the $388 million Measure Hbond in 2014, which is nearing exhaustion. These bonds helped complete approximately 60% of the district’s identified needs, according to a staff report. 

Moreno said the district’s long-term strategy is to eventually create a self-funded capital improvement project program to stabilize and avoid the need for public financing.