SMC's Malibu Campus is ready to make waves
Victor Chambers | Staff Writer
The Santa Monica College Malibu campus has finally opened after 20 years of development.
One month after opening its doors to the community, The Santa Monica College (SMC) Malibu campus is holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 22. The event will include class demonstrations, lectures and tours with the purpose of engaging with the local community.
The campus is located off Pacific Coast Highway on Civic Center Way, next to Malibu City Hall. It opened on Feb. 13, at the start of the spring semester, and currently has over 400 students enrolled in 26 different classes.
“SMC has proven its place in the California education system,” said Alice Meyering, Associate Dean of the Malibu Campus. “Our goal is to provide easier access to education in the Malibu area.”
“I’ve been waiting for a long time for this facility to open,” said Roxy Jensen, a local business owner. “My boys and I can now enjoy access to learning.”
SMC has been part of the Malibu community for a few years by offering classes at Webster Elementary School. The expansion will realize an SMC decades-long plan to fully serve the entire Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
“It’s a beautiful facility,” said Saint Scheherazade, a Malibu local who attends yoga classes at the new campus. “Now we have something to do in Malibu, we need more of that here.”
Four different types of programs are currently offered at the new location. These include credit, non-credit, emeritus, and community education classes. “With these different kinds of classes, we are serving all sectors of the student population,” said Meyering.
One of the most popular community education classes so far has been Statistics. Community education classes are fee-based, low-cost classes and workshops designed to serve the different needs of working professionals.
The community has responded enthusiastically to the emeritus classes which were planned with the area’s growing older population in mind. Meyering explained that student data gathered so far, however, reveals that most students enrolled at the Malibu campus have graduated high school in 2019.
“We are still serving the more traditional college population on this campus,” said Meyering. “A third of our students are currently coming from Santa Monica and another third from the Malibu area.”
On the topic of continuing the diversity found at other campuses, Meyering said that Malibu has a multilayered population at its core that can be served. According to the 2020 SMC Institutional Research Report, people of color comprise 67 percent of the college’s student body, with almost half of the population receiving financial aid. The 2020 United States Census shows that Malibu city, on the other hand, is 73 percent white with a median household income of $178,594 (in 2021 dollars).
“I always say that if you build it, people will come, and it’s finally here,” said Meyering. “The response we are starting to see shows we can fulfill a need within this community.”
Representatives from Pepperdine University, the only other higher education institution in the region, have already contacted Meyering for possible future partnerships.
The site for the campus was decided in 2004 through an agreement between the City of Malibu, Los Angeles County, and SMC. Two voter-approved bond measures, the 2004 bond Measure S and 2016 bond Measure V, drove the development forward. As part of the agreement, SMC contributed to the purchase of Legacy Park and to a wastewater treatment facility, both in Malibu.
“The campus is built in Malibu, for Malibu,” said Meyering. “We plan to build meaningful relationships in the city, especially with Malibu High School.”
Mirroring the city’s concern with sustainability, the campus has been LEED certified. This certification, overseen by the U.S. Green Building Council, is a globally recognized acknowledgment of sustainability achievement. Drought-resistant landscaping, green roofs, and effective use of energy are some of the features of the new building.
“Our mission was always to be as unobtrusive to the local environment as possible,” said Meyering. “The whole building is designed to achieve natural convection mechanisms.”
The campus’ first month hasn’t gone without challenges. The SMC Police Department is currently sending officers from the main campus in Santa Monica to Malibu while the staff is still being hired. Other campuses have also been sending office supplies to the new location.
“We really feel the love and the support from all the other campuses, even though we are farther away geographically,” said Meyering.
Heather Lyle, a voice teacher and vocal yoga instructor at SMC, currently travels between the main campus and the Malibu location.
“I am doing both campuses right now,” said Lyle. “[Meyering] felt Malibu would really be open to all the things I have to offer.”
Common resources seen on other campuses such as tutoring and counseling are not yet available in person at the new location. Meyering explained that demand will direct their development. The SMC’s Bodega is one of the first of these services to be offered on the Malibu campus.
“There’s a lot of work still to be done, and I am proud to be part of the team laying down the foundation for good work,” said Meyering. “We plant the tree, so those who come later can enjoy the shade.”
