Santa Monica College To Celebrate New Malibu Campus With Open House

SANTA MONICA, CA — Santa Monica College will celebrate the opening of its first-ever Malibu Campus with an open house later this month that members of the public are welcome to attend, officials announced Tuesday.

At the open house, attendees can look forward to live class demonstrations, campus tours and activities and information from Malibu High School and Malibu Community Library. The open house will be held on April 22 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Malibu Campus at 23555 Civic Center Way.

The three-acre campus was years in the making and includes many facilities including a dedicated art studio, a 100-seat lecture hall and a computer lab. Students began attending classes at the Malibu Campus on Feb. 13 on the first day of SMC's spring semester.

“I am delighted to announce the inaugural opening of SMC’s new Malibu Campus that is already serving over 400 students, enrolled in a wide range of classes: for-credit, short-term skill-building noncredit, Emeritus, and community education classes,” said SMC Superintendent/President Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery. “I enthusiastically invite the public to help celebrate this historic unveiling.”

Notably, a one-story wing of the campus will house a Los Angeles County Sheriff's substation, which will mark the first time Malibu has had a police substation within city limits since the early 1990's according to officials.

SMC is no stranger to Malibu as it has a history of providing educational offerings in the city since the 1970s when the college offered a full program of about 70 general education classes. More recently, SMC offered classes at the Malibu Senior Center as part of the Emeritus Program and evening credit classes at Webster Elementary School.

“The new Santa Monica College campus offers opportunities for Malibu students to begin their college education and for adults to take a wide range of non-credit and community courses right here in Malibu,” said Malibu Mayor Bruce Silverstein. “The campus also brings public safety enhancements to Malibu with the EOC and Sheriff’s Substation, as well as community meeting and event facilities that will enrich our community.”

Jeffrey and SMC officials said they look forward to watching students flourish on the Malibu Campus for years to come and thanked everyone who helped it come to fruition. Jeffrey specifically thanked officials at Los Angeles County, the City of Malibu and the Malibu Public Facilities Authority for their commitment to, "bringing affordable, world-class education to Malibu.”

"It’s a project 20 years in the making and it’s finally here and open to the public," said SMC Associate Dean for Malibu, Alice Meyering. "Students are enjoying a world-class learning experience in this innovative building, at an unbeatable location. We see happy people coming through our doors daily, ready to engage no matter what disciplines they are enrolled in."