"Using both qualitative and quantitative data, it is clear that SMC offers a quality education. SMC remains the #1 transfer school to the UC. The excellent faculty and staff work together to develop initiatives and programs adding value to the students’ experience. The 2014 Institutional Effectiveness Update provides a 'systematic process of assessing institutional effectiveness.' It provides 'analyses of longitudinal data related to the fundamental areas.' Though the data supports the provision of a quality education, it also highlights areas needing attention. Studies have shown that engagement and support are important to success and retention. SMC's counselor to student ratio is 1 in 373 as compared to the average of 1 in 719. Programs such as Adelante, Black Collegians and Veterans Resource Center help to increase retention. In 2012-13, 74% of the prepared students completed their goals. Our alumni include authors, Nobel Prize winners, musicians, actors, astronauts, presidential advisers, Olympic medalists and the many, whose quality of live is made better due to their experiences at SMC. Dreams become reality at SMC and there are committed staff and faculty to help students achieve their goals."
Oct. 1, 2014 Nancy Greenstein

"Yes! Santa Monica College offers our entire community unparalleled access to breadth, depth, and high quality public post-secondary education. We are so lucky!

Our Fall 2014 course schedule offers 1013 unique course offerings. Residents have access to the courses they want to take. And take them, we do: SMC has the #1 District Participation rate in the state. SMC is a resource for our local residents and a college of choice for the region because of the high quality we provide. Yes, we are #1 in transfers to USC, UCLA, and the entire UC system; we also have the highest counselor to students in the state; we have excellent faculty, administrators and staff. Our facilities are beautiful and sustainable, and we provide students and faculty with cutting edge technology. We have a diverse and committed student population, including students from around the world who enrich the perspective and relevance of our classrooms. We have built a strong department of institutional research so that we can monitor our programs and invest resources where they will do the most good. We are very good and getting better!"
Oct. 1, 2014 Louise Jaffe

"SMC offers good quality education, however there is still an achievement gap that exists. The main reason for the achievement gap is a lack of focus on the students with the greatest need. Special treatment is given to international students, when in fact the local students that are struggling the most should be given more attention."
Oct. 1, 2014 Maria Loya

"Santa Monica College offers an excellent quality education. SMC is #1 in transfers to UC for 25 years. It has the best students to counselor ratio in the state. The faculty is comprised with professors that have many years of experience. It is the only community college in the state that has an Emeritus College to serve its older adults."
Oct. 1, 2014 Barry A. Snell

"We have a rigorous high quality college education at Santa Monica College. Over the last 8 years we have consistently hired faculty from some of the top schools in the country, many of them Ph.D.'s. We offer over 1000 course offering in our fall catalogue. We have a wide range of courses for different populations, including the offerings through Emeritus College for seniors. We have top notch programs in business, public policy, the arts and entertainment, photography, and solar power. We are continuing to innovate in the delivery of our basic skills courses, so that the college’s completion rates continue to improve. For example, we need to combine courses so that students can get though the basic skills sequence faster, which we have done with our lower level English writing courses. We need to offer more accelerated courses so that again students can get though their basic skills courses more quickly. We also need to continuously be innovative with our teaching so that it remains fresh, participatory and engaging for the students."
Oct. 1, 2014 Andrew Walzer