StudStudent Leadership Awards

SMCCCD Student Leadership Nominees
At the Board meeting on February 28, the District recognized student leaders from each college to put forward for the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) Student Leadership Awards. The annual award recognizes community college student leaders who demonstrate the highest level of commitment to leadership and the Vision for Success. College administrators, classified staff, faculty, or students could nominate student leaders who exemplify the qualities that deserve the award. Each college put forward two nominees who were blind voted on by Chancellor’s Cabinet and then recognized and honored by the Board of Trustees. The finalists were:
- Parker Nathaniel Guban – College of San Mateo
- Andy Casas Resendiz – Skyline College
- Chloe Knott – Cañada College
State award recipients will selected by representatives from the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, and the Chancellor’s Office. Up to three award recipients will be selected, then announced and honored at the April 5 – April 7, 2024, Student Senate for California Community Colleges Spring General Assembly. Each recipient will receive a $1,250 cash award and a commemorative certificate.
On behalf of the entire District, we thank Parker, Andy, and Chloe for their leadership and wish them all the best!
Faculty Tenure
We were also thrilled to celebrate newly tenured faculty for the first time in the District (at least as far as anyone could remember) at the February 28 Board Meeting. SMCCCD faculty achieving tenure status included:
- Aricka Bueno
- Christopher Collins
- Leonardo Cruz
- Manuel Delgad
- Andrea Fuentes
- Doris Garcia
- Jorge (Andy) Gomez
- Julie Luu
- Sunny Martin
- Adria Otte
- Gilbert Perez
- Shaun Perisho
- Christina Shih
- Susanne Schubert
- Christopher Watters
Tenure is a category of faculty appointment that provides long-term stability to an institution. Tenure also affords an institution a means of defending the principles of academic freedom and was historically put in place to prevent the arbitrary dismissal of a faculty member who expresses unpopular views. Tenure supports important principles of equity and social justice in that it allows scholars the freedom to examine a variety of views which is beneficial to our students in the classroom, and more broadly, beneficial to society.
This advancement is not easy and takes four years of demonstrated academic achievements, portfolio-building, student evaluations, exhibited classroom excellence, and being in service of students with distinction. Accomplishments are verified through a peer-based tenure review process. Newly tenured faculty give us great hope and insight into the future of this District. The granting of tenure is the District’s investment in faculty, and the expectation, in return, is that tenured faculty contribute to shaping the future we desire for our students and our workplace, a future that reflects our mission, vision, and values.
We are grateful to have such dedicated faculty in our District, and congratulate those who recently achieved this career milestone.

Enrollment Update

Thanks to the dedicated efforts of college staff and faculty, and the SMCCCD’s Free College program, coupled with a robust 10-month-long districtwide digital advertising campaign, domestic student headcount was up 16% in Fall 2023 and 8% in Spring 2024, resulting in a total year-over-year academic year increase of 12%, or 2,533 students. Over one-third of those students came directly through the Free College marketing campaigns, highlighting the value of fully integrating our Student Success Link (CRM) with our advertising.
These results bring the District’s unique student headcount back to pre-pandemic levels and are even more impressive when compared to the most recent national and statewide community college enrollment reports for Fall 2023. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, fall enrollment at community colleges rose by 2.3% nationwide. The State Chancellor’s Office recently announced that fall enrollments were up 8% statewide. Additionally, over 90 of the community colleges in the state saw a more modest 5–6% fall increase.
Read the Spring 2024 SMCCCD Enrollment Report that was shared at the February 28 Board Meeting for more detail.
Personnel Updates
Chancellor Search
On March 27, 2024, the Board interviewed four highly qualified finalists for the position of the District’s next permanent chancellor. The Board will continue its confidential selection process during April, 2024.
CSM President Search
Three finalists have been selected and announced for the CSM President position. The candidates will visit College of San Mateo on April 8, 9, and 10. Each day’s schedule will include a morning meet-and-greet and afternoon in-person forums. HR has reached out to the CSM campus to solicit forum questions. Recordings of the forums will be posted on Thursday, April 11, after all finalists have completed their forums.
Executive Vice Chancellor
Dr. Richard Storti will return to his previous Executive Vice Chancellor (EVC) role at the District Office after the new CSM President begins on July 1, 2024. Until then, Interim Chancellor Moreno will continue managing Auxiliary, Human Resources, Facilities, and Finance.
Interim Chief Financial Officer

Peter Fitzsimmons has filled the Interim CFO position that was vacated by Bernata Slater due to her retirement at the end of 2023. Peter has over 30 years of financial management in the areas of revenue collection, auditing, budget development/analysis, payroll, contracts, grants, accounting, risk management, and auxiliary services.
Prior to his recent appointment, Peter served as the District Budget Officer for the District. Before joining the District in 2018, he served the San Jose Evergreen Community College District as the Executive Director of Fiscal Services for eight years. He has also served in various capacities in municipal government for 20 years prior to joining the California Community College System in 2010.
Peter received an MBA from Golden Gate University and lives with his partner in Antioch, California. He is an avid pet lover and enjoys traveling and spending time at home with friends and family.
Performance Auditor/Policy Analyst

In March, the District hired Houman Boussina into the new Performance Auditor/Policy Analyst role.
Houman Boussina has served as a performance auditor for local government agencies since 2005. Houman is a Certified Internal Auditor, a Certified Information Systems Auditor, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and a Certified Government Auditing Professional. Houman is a recipient of the competitive Knighton Award that the Association of Local Government Auditors issues to recognize the best performance audit reports of the year. His education includes a Master’s degree in Accountancy from San Jose State University.
In the Performance Auditor/Policy Analyst role, Houman will independently review and analyze various college district programs, operations, and procedures to develop findings and recommendations that support continuous improvement and effective service delivery across the District.
We welcome Houman to the District team and look forward to the districtwide benefits his work will bring.
Chancellor’s Classroom
The Chancellor’s Classroom is a section of this blog to help educate our community about the work of District operations and the Chancellor’s office. In many instances, I am a student of district operations alongside you! It is my commitment to share transparently the insight and perspective I am gaining. Today, I chose a topic of particular relevance and import at this moment in time. Please reach out if you have any questions.
Understanding Academic Freedom
It’s a good time to review our Board Policy 6.35 regarding Academic Freedom which was created jointly with faculty. As a District, we unequivocally support the tenets of academic freedom, which, among other things, gives faculty the right to express their informed opinions. Students, too, have the right to express their opinions, and to question those presented by others. Academic freedom demands that our college communities and our administration provide a climate that encourages the sharing of a wide variety of viewpoints. As an educational institution, we must create an environment for our students that allows them to freely engage in open inquiry, informed debate, and critical thinking, so that they can understand conflicting opinions and develop opinions of their own.
We (the colleges and the District) would not take a position that could be perceived as denigrating a particular point of view, thus diminishing the tenets of academic freedom we hold so dear. The Board of Trustees, however, can take a policy stance on matters of public interest, and does so only when it serves to advance (or counter disruption to) our ability to carry out our primary mission to educate students, and only if that stance would not violate Board Policy, including Academic Freedom.
We are all called upon to support open inquiry, informed debate, and a search for the truth. We must unambiguously protect and encourage the free exchange of ideas, including unpopular ones, and promulgate a spirit of open dialogue and constructive debate.
Board Policies and Administrative Procedures
As part of a multi-year process, the District’s Board Policies and Administrative Procedures are being updated and renumbered to align with required legal updates as provided by the Community College League of California’s (CCLC) Policy and Procedure Service. This process started under former Chancellor Claire and now continues publicly, so that the Board can provide feedback and then move through our participatory governance process. The project began with Chapters 1 and 2 which are the sole purview of the Board. As we move through the next chapters, the Board reviews and approves the new drafts, which will proceed through our participatory governance process and come back to the Board for final approval. As policies and procedures are finalized and approved, they will be posted in Board Docs under the “Policies” tab. In addition, a crosswalk table has been developed to provide an understanding of the relationship between prior policies and procedures with new ones. In addition, the Interim Chancellor is reviewing all Administrative Procedures chapter by chapter, following final approval of Board Policies. The new AP’s will. come to the Board for review.
During this project phase, please note that any “draft changes” to new Board Policy and Administrative Procedures published in the Board packet have been provided by the League’s Policy and Procedure Service and turned over to the Board publicly for their review and consideration. Neither the Board, nor the Chancellor, have reviewed or provided these edits at the time of turnover to the board. In addition, all but Chapter 1 and 2 will find its way to the District Participatory Governance Council. If you have any concern or opinion about the League’s proposed language, please feel free to let your representatives on DPGC know, and/or join a board meeting for public comment on the League’s proposed language.
This work will continue through 2025, and upon completion, all policies and procedures will reside in Board Docs. I have highlighted the key differences between policy and procedure below as provided by BP 2410.
Board Policy (BP)
The Board of Trustees adopt policies that are authorized by law or determined by the Board to be necessary for the efficient operation of the District. Board policies are statements of intent by the Board on a specific issue within its subject matter jurisdiction. Policies must be consistent with the provisions of the law but do not necessarily encompass all laws relating to district activities. All District employees are expected to know and observe all laws pertinent to their job responsibilities.
Administrative Procedure (AP)
Administrative procedures implement Board-adopted policy and are developed by the Chancellor or administrative designee. APs are issued by the Chancellor as statements of method to be used in implementing board policy and must be consistent with the intent of board policy. APs are revised as necessary by the District Chancellor, and the Board is apprised annually of any changes.
The Board Corner
“The Board Corner” is a regular feature of this blog to help you stay informed about discussions and decisions that frequently impact our work. Giving up a Wednesday evening to watch a board meeting may not be feasible for everyone, so we have summarized the topics and actions of past Board of Trustees meetings, study sessions, and retreats in an effort to improve transparency. All Board meetings, except retreats, are recorded and posted to the Board Meeting Videos webpage.
Study Session: Wednesday, March 6 2024
New Business
- 7.1 Approval of Personnel Items (ACTION: Approved)
Other Recommendations
- 8.1 Permanent Chancellor Search Update and Timeline (ACTION: Update approved; Timeline approved)
Study Session
- 9.1 Form 700 Training
- 9.2 Second Read of Revisions to Chapter 3 of Board Policy
- 9.3 First Read of Chapter 4 of Board Policy
- 9.4 Discussion of Mission Statement and Values Statement
- 9.5 Review of Administrative Procedures Connected to Chapters 1 and 2 of Board Policies and Notice of Public Posting of Newly Adopted Board Policies and Administrative Procedures
- 9.6 Review Board Calendar
- 9.7 Equal Employment Opportunity 2023 – 2026 Draft Plan
Watch the 3/6 meeting recording
Regular Meeting: Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Approval of Minutes (ACTION: All items approved)
- 9.1 Approval of Minutes from January 24, 2024 Regular Meeting of the Board of Trustees
- 9.2 Approval of Minutes from February 3, 2024 Study Session of the Board of Trustees
New Business
- Approval of Personnel Items (ACTION: Approved as amended)
- 10.2 Re-Employment of Contract and Regular Faculty for the 2024-2025 Academic Year (ACTION: Approved)
- 10.3 Holding of Public Hearing on District’s Initial Contract Reopened Proposal to the San Mateo Community College Federation of Teachers, Local 1493, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO
- 10.4 Acceptance of District’s Initial Contract Reopened Proposals to the San Mateo Community College Federation of Teachers, Local 1493, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO (ACTION: Approved)
- 10.5 Holding of Public Hearing on Initial Contract Reopened Proposal from the San Mateo Community College Federation of Teachers, Local 1493, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO to the District
- 10.6 Acceptance of Initial Contract Reopened Proposal from the San Mateo Community College Federation of Teachers, Local 1493, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO to the District (ACTION: Approved)
Consent Agenda (ACTION: All items approved)
- 13.1 Approval to Grant an Honorary Posthumous Associate Degree to Brittany K. Tello
- 13.2 Ratification of November and December District Warrants
- 13.3 Curricular Additions, Deletions and Modifications – Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College
- 13.4 Curricular Additions, Deletions and Modifications – Community, Continuing, and Corporate Education (CCCE)
- 13.5 Approval of Contract Renewal for District’s Constituent Relationship Management (CRM) System to Salesforce, Inc. & Enrollment RX, LLC
- 13.6 Approval of Revision to Board Policy 2735 – Board Member Travel
Other Recommendations (ACTION: All items approved)
- 14.1 Adoption of Resolution 24-04: Resolution in Honor of Black History Month
- 14.2 Acceptance of the 2023-24 Mid-Year Budget Report and Approval of Budgetary Transfers and Income Adjustments for the Period Ending December 31, 2023
- 14.3 Approval of an Additional Campaign Spend with VisionPoint Marketing, LLC
- 14.4 Approval of Non-Resident Tuition Fee, 2024-25
- 14.5 Consideration of Near-Term Capital Improvement Projects
- 14.6 Report on 2024 Contractor Prequalification
Discussion Items
- 15.1 Enrollment Report – Spring 2024
Watch the 2/28 meeting recording
Study Session: Saturday, February 3, 2024
New Business (ACTION: All items approved)
- 3.1 Approval of Personnel Items
- 3.2 Approval of Salary Adjustment for Non-Represented Exempt Employees on Salary Schedules 10 (Executive), 20 (Management), and 35 (Academic-Classified Exempt Supervisory
- 3.3 Receipt of District’s Initial Contract Reopener Proposals to the San Mateo Community College Federation of Teachers, Local 1493, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO and Setting of a Public Hearing
- 3.4 Receipt of Initial Contract Proposal from the San Mateo Community College Federation of Teachers, Local 1493, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO to the District and Setting of a Public Hearing
Study Session
- 4.1 Review of Board Goals and Prioritization
- 4.2 First Read of Revisions to Chapter 3 of Board Policy
- 4.3 Discussion of Mission Statement and Values Statement
- 4.4 Discussion of the District’s Preliminary Budget for FY 2024-25
- 4.5 Consideration of Short-Term and Long-Term Capital Improvement Program Strategy
Adjournment
- 7.1 Adjourn in Memory of Sharon Himebrook
Watch the 2/3 meeting recording
Regular Meeting: Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Approval of Minutes (ACTION: Approved)
- 9.1 Approval of Minutes from December 13, 2023, Annual Reorganization Meeting of the Board of Trustees
New Business (ACTION: Approved)
- 10.1 Approval of Personnel Items
Consent Agenda (ACTION: All items approved)
- 11.1 Approval of Third Addendum to Commercial Lease Between San Mateo County Community College District and INTEG Properties
- 11.2 Approval of the 2024-25 Integrated District Budget Planning Calendar
- 11.3 Acceptance of San Bruno Community Foundation Grant Funds for the Accelerate Fellowship Program
- 11.4 Ratification of September and October District Warrants
- 11.5 Curricular Additions, Deletions and Modifications – College of San Mateo and Skyline College
- 11.6 Approval of Contract Award for Districtwide Charter Transportation Services To RM Executive Transportation DBA: Mosaic Global Transportation
- 11.7 Approval of Changes to Board Policy 8.11 – District Budget
- 11.8 Consideration of Denial of Claim Against the District by Jing Wu
Other Recommendations (ACTION: All items approved)
- 12.1 Adoption of Resolution 24-01 by the Governing Board designating staff to sign documents with the California Department of Education and the California Department of Social Services for the purpose of providing child care and development services for fiscal year 2024-2025
- 12.2 Adoption of Resolution No. 24-02A: Approving Compensation for Absent Board Members
- 12.3 Approval of Board Member Compensation
Discussion Items
- 13.1 Receipt of Bond Oversight Committee Annual Report to the Community
- 13.2 Preparation for Salesforce CRM Renewal: Report on the Student Success Link (SSL)
Watch the 1/24 meeting recording