Cañada College is a community college located at 4200 Farm Hill Boulevard in an unincorporated area of San Mateo County, California, near Redwood City and just off Highway 280. It is one of the smallest community colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area.
History
In 1957, the San Mateo Junior College District Board of Trustees developed a 25-year District master plan based on the recommendations of a citizens' advisory committee, and the same year submitted a $5.9 million bond issue to voters that was approved by a three-to-one margin.
The bond issue victory cleared the way for prompt acquisition of the present College of San Mateo campus and also provided funds for purchase of a 111-acre site west of Skyline Boulevard and south of Sharp Park Road in San Bruno. A third site, of 131 acres west of the Farm Hill subdivision on the Redwood City-Woodside line, was purchased in 1962.
The current College of San Mateo campus was opened in 1963, followed by Cañada College, Redwood City, in 1968, and Skyline College, San Bruno, in 1969. Construction of Cañada and Skyline was made possible in large part from proceeds from a second bond issue of $12.8 million approved by District voters in March, 1964.
Educational and architectural planning for Cañada was accomplished in 1964-66 and proceeded on the theory that a first phase for at least 2,000 students should be designed to permit expansion ultimately to 8,000 day students. Grading of the site began in 1966, and the building construction contract was awarded in April, 1967. The first classes â€" for 2,000 students â€" were held in September, 1968.
The Cañada College Dedication Program was held on April 27, 1969. The first President, Bill Goss, welcomed dignitaries including Francis Pearson Jr. then president of the Board of Trustees. Carl Sitton, conductor of the college choir, opened the invocation with a song of praise.
The total cost to build the campus was $12.2 million. The 241,000 square feet of buildings cost $24.77 per square foot to build.
Campus
The college is located on 131 acres (0.53 km2) in the western part of Redwood City. The Cañada College library is part of the county-wide Peninsula Library System which connects the college library with dozens of other local libraries. Librarians provide free research and citation help to students and the library provides use of computers and study rooms.
Artist Deborah Butterfield designed a bronze sculpture of a horse which sits in the quad.
Academic profile
The college offers more than 40 quality instructional programs under three instructional divisions: Business, Design & Workforce; Humanities & Social Sciences; and Science & Technology.
A Regional Center for STEM
Cañada is a regional center for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics education. The college has built an award-winning STEM Center under the guideance of Cathy Lipe. It is located in the Learning Center on the second floor of Building 9. The STEM Center supports students with internship and scholarship opportunities and is the hub of academic activity on campus. Faculty in the Science & Technology Division often hold office hours in the STEM Center to better assist students.
Partnerships with NASA, SFSU
Because of the school's excellence in STEM education, it has developed partnerships with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and San Francisco State University. The COMETS Project (Creating Opportunities for Minorities in Engineering, Technology,and Science) is a collaboration between Cañada College's Engineering Department and San Francisco State University School of Engineering. The project is sponsored by NASA's Office of Education through Curriculum Improvement Partnership Award for the Integration of Research into the Undergraduate Curriculum (CIPAIR).
Helping Underrepresented Students in STEM
The SOLES project is supported by a grant from the US Department of Education through the Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP). SOLES aims to maximize the likelihood of success among underrepresented and educationally disadvantaged students interested in pursuing careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields through a combination of programs and services proven to increase recruitment, retention and success.
The Mathematics, Science and Engineering Transfer Scholarships (M-SETS) program provides 140 scholarship awards to academically talented, financially needy students working to transfer to a four-year university to complete an undergraduate degree in an engineering, math or science major. M-SETS awards are offered for up to three years of full-time academic study at Cañada College and in the first semester that a student transfers to a four-year university. The scholarship program provides a unique opportunity for low-income students to focus full-time on their studies and fully benefit from a support system provided through Cañada's Math, Engineering & Science Achievement (MESA) Program. MESA aims to increase student success by providing tutoring, Academic Excellence Workshops and peer mentoring as well as STEM-related student clubs and professional speaker panels. Students are engaged in leadership development, scientific seminars, and field trips to industry and four-year universities.
Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) is an academic preparation program that assists California's students to succeed in math and science and attain four-year degrees in math and science fields. MESA serves educationally disadvantaged students and, to the extent possible by law, emphasizes participation by under-represented students. The MESA California Community College Program (MESA CCCP) serves community college students and assists them in successfully transferring to four-year institutions as math or science majors. The MESA Community College Program provides math, engineering and science academic enrichment to community college students so they excel academically and transfer to four-year institutions as math-based majors. The program establishes academic-based community centers at campuses where most students are commuters and opportunities for peer support and information-sharing are scarce. The program is supported by industry, so students learn firsthand about career options and learn about scholarships, internships and special programs.
Working With Engineering Faculty Across the State
Not only does the college help students interested in studying STEM, but it also helps professors. The Summer Engineering Teaching Institute (SETI) assists California community college engineering faculty in developing a Tablet-PC-enhanced interactive model of engineering instruction, and increases their involvement in developing and implementing online courses using CCC Conferâ€"a videoconferencing platform that is available free of charge to all faculty and staff of the California Community College system. Approximately 30 California engineering faculty are selected to participate, 10 from Southern California, and 20 from Northern California.
Supporting Veterans
Cañada is also helping veterans transition into the community. The Bay Bridge to Engineering for Veterans Program is supported by a grant through the Workforce Investment Act: Veterans' Employment-Related Assistance Program (VEAP), and developed through a partnership between Cañada College, San Francisco State University, the San Mateo County Workforce Investment Board, and Growth Sector. The Veterans Employment Assistance Grant (VEAP) provides a unique opportunity for veterans and their qualifying spouses to enter a career in Engineering. Selected candidates enter a nine-month Pre-Engineering program at Cañada receiving a CAD or Surveying Certificate, the opportunity to compete for paid internships, and assistance in transferring to one of the four-year Engineering Programs at SFSU and CSU. Additionally, candidates have access to career counseling, mental health services, job development, and supplies necessary to begin a new career in engineering.
The college has also established the Veterans Resource and Opportunity Center (VROC). Services to veterans include admissions help, academic counseling, placement testing, financial aid, priority enrollment and more.
Bachelor degrees
Cañada was one of the first community colleges in California to partner with four-year universities to offer bachelor's degrees on-site through its Center for International and University Studies. It offers bachelor's degrees in nursing, allied health, business administration, human services, psychology, and child development. Classes are taught on-site by professors from partnering institutions including Notre Dame de Namur, National Hispanic University, San Francisco State University, and National University.
Student life
The Associated Students of Cañada College
The Associated Students of Cañada College (ASCC) is the student government at Cañada College. The ASCC board consists of a maximum of 22 elected and appointed student representatives who organize and promote campus wide programs, protect student rights, and represent the student voice on campus committees.
Sports
Cañada College Athletics has a rich and storied history of success since 1968. The college has established an Athletic Hall of Fame and has inducted two classes of former athletes into the HOF.
The 2012 class included Sam Nicolopulos, (posthumously), Head Coach, Wrestling ; Clifton Holland, Baseball; Lyman Ashley, Head Coach, Baseball; Andy Lucchesi, Tennis ; Rich Anderson, Head Coach, Men’s Tennis ; Jim Zylker, Soccer ; and Silvano Vial, Head Coach, Men’s Soccer .
The 2013 class included Gordon Gray, (Posthumously), Division Dean, Athletic Director, Head Women’s Softball Coach, Assistant Coach Baseball; Jerry Drever, Golf Coach; Mike Garcia, Baseball Coach; John Hursh, Tennis; Javier Sanchez, Men's Golf; Keith Comstock, Baseball; Mike Legarza, Basketball; and Harold Reynolds, Baseball.
Current sports offered at the college include baseball, men's basketball, women's golf, men's soccer, women's soccer, and women's volleyball.
Cañada won state championships in men's tennis in 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, and 1993. The school won a men's golf state championship in 1988.
Most recently the women's golf team has achieved enormous success, winning the Central Conference Championship in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. The also won the NorCal Championship in 2012 and 2013 and finished third at the state championship in 2012 and 2013.
Notable alumni
- Moisés Alou, Major League Baseball player
- Stevie Nicks, American singer-songwriter
- Anna Eshoo, U.S. Representative
- Harold Reynolds, Former Major League Baseball player and MLB Network sports analyst
- Ken Rinaldo, Installation Artist
- Barry Mainz, CEO and President of MobileIron
See also
- California Community Colleges system
- City College of San Francisco, a community college located in San Francisco
- De Anza College, a community college located in Cupertino
- Foothill College, a community college located in Mountain View
References
External links
- Official website
- San Mateo County Community College District