Package ran live Feb. 14, on NewsWaves 32
There is a new place for learning in Malibu — Santa Monica College. SMC opened its doors at its new satellite campus for students Feb. 13, with over 450 students enrolled and 150 students arriving to class on the first day of school, said Scott Silverman, dean of Noncredit and Summer Programs at SMC.
SMC is located on Civic Center Way, right next to the Malibu Library. Silverman said the project has been over 10 years in the making, and students said they are excited to take classes in Malibu. The main campus is in Santa Monica.
“It’s great; it’s awesome,” first-year Misha Frolov said. “Considering my girlfriend goes to Pepperdine, I get to actually go to school next to her and in Malibu, so it’s really amazing.”
SMC’s Classes
The satellite campus is holding 25 classes, including Yoga, Film Appreciation, English, Statistics and Public Speaking, Silverman said. There are four program options for students to choose from — emeritus, noncredit, credit or community education.
The emeritus program serves older adults who are interested in “lifelong learning” and is completely free, without credit, Silverman said.
Noncredit programs include an early childhood education certificate, Silverman said, which is a free certificate program at SMC. Students will complete the certificate at the Malibu campus.
Credit programs include the general classes, such as science and exercise classes, Silverman said. Any student is welcome to join these classes for credit, including Pepperdine students. They can be used toward an Associate’s degree or to transfer, according to the SMC website.
“We’d love to have students from Pepperdine enroll in classes here,” Silverman said. “If you see classes you like, check it out. It’s definitely a great opportunity.”
Lastly, SMC offers community education classes — including Barre Fusion class and a course on female architects. These classes are open for the public, Silverman said. They are low-cost, and include seminars and workshops, according to the SMC website.
“We really have all four types, depending on what students want to do,” Silverman said. “They can pursue any one of those four types or programs or potentially all of them.”
Students and Faculty’s Reactions
Professor Carol Davis said she is teaching English at SMC and has heard from her students there is excitement in the air. She said the location for school is hard to beat.
“It’s really gorgeous,” Davis said.
Frolov said he also loves the location, but hopes to see Malibu adapt into more of a “college town” because Pepperdine and SMC are in the same area.
“I would definitely love to see this area change into something more of a town for younger kids instead of just a beach and just a bunch of houses,” Frolov said.
Namely, Frolov said he wants to see restaurants and bars stay open later to accommodate students after their classes are over.
Looking Forward
Silverman said he is happy with the enrollment numbers for the spring semester, but would like to see them grow in the coming years.
“The first semester is always a new experience and a new experiment,” Silverman said. “But we have really good numbers.”
There are still hours during the week not filled by classes, Silverman said, so he said he hopes to add more classes and students by next year.
“Maybe by spring of next year, I’d love to have even double the number of classes and to have all of them filled,” Silverman said.
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Contact Abby Wilt via Twitter (@abby_wilt) or by email: abby.wilt@pepperdine.edu
