Dear Editor,
To my Malibu friends and neighbors, I have had the privilege to serve on the Santa Monica College District Bond Oversight Committee for several terms. Santa Monica College is one of the leading Community Colleges in California. For 31 years, it has fed more students into the UC system, USC, and LMU than any other community college in California. Many Malibuites hold AA degrees from SMC, and SMC continues to be an excellent choice not only for many of our graduating high school students but for students of all ages who are committed to lifelong learning.
For the past six years, Santa Monica Community College District has taken the bold initiative to create a Malibu Campus to serve the people in our corner of the world. Malibu taxpayers have supported the SMCC Facilities Bonds generously over the years, and this campus makes this institution of higher learning much more accessible to many more of us.
The building has taken shape before our eyes over the past three years. Completion is set for Spring of 2023. The building has so much potential — dance studios, lecture halls, science labs, classrooms, study areas, outdoor gathering spaces — the question is, what will they teach there? Well, that is up to us.
I am writing today to nag, I mean, urge all of us, to let SMC know what we want to learn. Yes. There is a survey!! In this very issue of the Malibu Times, you will find an ad that directs you to the survey to log your ideas and opinions on this very important matter. Your household also received a card recently that you may have discarded accidentally.
If you have taken classes at SMC before, you know what a great school it is, but getting in and out of Santa Monica is very tough at times. Can you imagine having the chance to take those same excellent courses right here? A few miles from home? At night or on weekends, or during the day? Can you imagine what an opportunity our high school students will have with community college classes offered for free in subjects that Malibu High may not offer? Can you imagine taking college-level classes here in Malibu that help you further your studies in a new field or help you complete a degree or certificate that has yet to be completed?
It is hard to imagine all the possibilities that a Community College campus offers us as citizens. But I urge all of us to take a moment to use our imaginations to picture what courses would excite, interest, and inspire you. Take a look at the SMC course catalog at SMC.edu if you need ideas.
To take the survey online, go to SMC.edu/malibusurvey. Your input is valuable. I’m not exaggerating when I say the future is in your hands.
Sincerely,
Heather Anderson, Malibu