College of San Mateo

History

A timeline of historical events at CSM.

About College of San Mateo

College of San Mateo is located at the northern corridor of Silicon Valley and situated on a 153-acre site in the San Mateo hills. The campus was designed by architect John Carl Warnecke. The College currently serves approximately 10,000 day, evening and weekend students. The college offers 79 A.A./A.S. degree majors, 75 certificate programs and approximately 100 transfer areas and majors.

Accreditation

College of San Mateo is fully accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education.

Transfer Programs

CSM offers transfer admission guarantees with seven of the nine UC campuses, nearly all of the CSU campuses and many private colleges in California.

Career and Technical Programs

The college offers more than 75 programs in career areas including multimedia, green technologies, cosmetology, nursing, broadcasting, accounting, computer and information science, fire technology and dental assisting.

Student Life & Leadership

CSM has more than 20 student clubs and organizations that provide an opportunity to be involved with other students in activities related to majors, special interests, cultures or community service. For students interested in developing and practicing leadership skills, student government provides the opportunity to participate in the decision making process of the college as well getting involved in activities that enhance the overall student experience at CSM. The college also offers a variety of athletic, educational and cultural activities throughout the year.

Library

The college’s library, designed by John Carl Warnecke offers a view of San Francisco Bay. The library’s print collection contains approximately 71,000 volumes, 125 print periodical subscriptions and approximately 17,000 online periodical s accessible through electronic databases. More than 60 online resources provide access to thousands of journals, magazines, newspapers and subject-based research sources. The library is a member of the Peninsula Library System (PLS) which includes 31 public libraries in San Mateo County and of Cañada and Skyline Colleges. PLS libraries share an integrated online public catalog with a common interface that provides access to the bibliographic records and locations of over 2,450,000 items in member libraries.

The library also houses the college archives, including the Photographic History Project, which help preserve and make accessible the printed and visual history of CSM and the San Mateo County community colleges.

Learning Center

Resources include financial aid and scholarships, counseling, transfer services, tutoring, employment assistance, health services and child care. The college also offers an Extended Opportunity Programs and Services, Veterans Resource Center and comprehensive services for students with disabilities.

Discipline-Specific Centers

To support student achievement and development, CSM’s Learning Center offers a variety of free programs and services including peer tutoring in a variety of subjects, up-to-date technology, mentoring, workshops, group study rooms, a computer center, and a place to study. In addition to the Learning Center, CSM has established a number of discipline-specific centers throughout the campus where student can receive one-on-one and small group tutoring and other instructional assistance.

Athletics

CSM’s championship intercollegiate athletic teams compete at the highest community college level, offering student athletes an opportunity to participate in a team experience. The college offers the following men’s sports: football, baseball, track & field, cross country and swimming; and the following women’s sports: softball, basketball, track & field, cross country, water polo and swimming.

Athletics Hall of Fame

In 2011, CSM established an Athletics Hall of Fame. Among the notable inductees are John Madden, former professional football coach, analyst and broadcaster; Archie Williams, 1936 Olympic gold medalist; and Bill Ring, former professional football player. Names of all of the inductees are on display in CSM’s Hall of Fame Plaza.

San Mateo Middle College and Jumpstart Program, Alternative High School Programs

San Mateo Middle College is an alternative high school program serving grades 11 and 12 which operates on the CSM campus. Middle College students take three high school classes on campus with high school teachers and fill the remainder of their schedule with college courses. Middle College students come from the San Mateo Union High School District; students in the Cabrillo Unified School District may also be eligible to participate with approval of the Middle College principal.

In Fall 2016, another alternative high school program, Jumpstart was put on the CSM campus, allowing high school students to finish their credits on an online program, and to give them an opportunity to take classes on campus. This allows for students to receive credit for both their high school and college graduation requirements.

KCSM Jazz 91, Public Radio

KCSM-FM 91, located on CSM’s campus and licensed to the San Mateo County Community College District made its broadcast debut in 1964. The station broadcasts 24 hours a day and has a growing audience that currently totals more than 200,000 on air and 4,000 on the web. According to Arbitron, the station is among the top 35 “most listened to” non-commercial stations in the nation. KCSM-FM has the distinction as the only station in the Bay Area with a 24-hour jazz format. Hosts of the station’s programs include veteran jazz musicians, educators, seasoned jazz broadcasters and often a combination of the three. The station and the college co-host “Jazz On the Hill,” an all-day jazz concert, free to the community.

Notable Alumni

NFL Alumni John Madden of the Oakland Raiders and Bill Walsh of the SF 49ers, both played & coached at the College of San Mateo early in their careers. Bill Walsh was claimed by some to be the best NFL Coach "ever." He later retired from the 49ers to become the athletic director at Stanford University. See the College of San Mateo Sports Hall of Fame websites for details on he and many others.

Note: Some of the above-mentioned athletes were inducted into the College of San Mateo Sports Hall of Fame. New individuals are inducted annually at the Sports Hall of Fame Dinner.