San Mateo, CA; June 18, 2007—Dr. Susan Estes is College of San Mateo’s new vice president of instruction. At its meeting last Wednesday night, the San Mateo County Community College District Board of Trustees approved the hiring of Estes for the high-level administrator position and CSM’s former dean of language arts will begin her new responsibilities on July 1.

“I look forward to continue working with Susan, who is an outstanding administrator,” said CSM President Mike Claire. “Susan has been with CSM for 27 years and brings extensive experience, knowledge and skills to the office of the vice president.”

Estes began at CSM in 1980 as a faculty member in the language arts division. Later, as president of CSM’s Academic Senate from 1992-1994, Estes played a major role in the development of the shared governance process at the college as it continues to be practiced today.

“I look forward to serving as CSM’s vice president of instruction at this exciting time for the college,” said Estes who holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in speech and dramatic art from University of Missouri and a bachelor’s degree from Monmouth College in Illinois. “Renovation and construction of facilities, innovations in curriculum and applications of instructional technology, such as SMART classrooms, podcasting and eportfolios, provide rich opportunities to work with CSM’s outstanding faculty and staff to create an even stronger instructional program to meet the needs of 21st century students.”

In 1995, Estes’ 12 years as CSM’s dean of language arts began.

“As dean, Susan has provided exemplary leadership to one of the largest divisions in the college district,” President Claire said. “She has guided the division’s curriculum development by encouraging faculty to create new courses that address the changing student needs. This effort has resulted in expanded offerings and alternative delivery systems in several language arts departments.”

Estes has overseen CSM’s learning communities and provided oversight for the entire integrative learning initiative, including Writing Across the Curriculum. She was instrumental in the creation of the Center for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, CSM’s new facility to support faculty development that emphasizes a strong student-centered approach to teaching and learning. She has also provided effective leadership in the planning, renovation and construction of a number of important facilities projects.

Over the years, Estes has been an active participant in many college-wide initiatives. For the past four years, she has served as the coordinator of the President’s Lecture Series: Diverse Voices in Writing, which has brought a variety of well-known authors/speakers to campus; was a founding co-chair of the Enrollment Management Committee; served as a standard co-chair for CSM’s current and previous accreditation self study reports; and has chaired and served on numerous college and district committees.

To interview Estes, please contact her at 650.574.6337.
For a photo of Susan Estes please click here.

For more information about CSM, please visit collegeofsanmateo.edu.