Mission, Vision, and Values

Cañada College is dedicated to social and racial justice:

• Antiracism: commit to actively combat individual racism and to interrogate racist structures and policies.
• Equity: provide equitable access and resources to students, staff and faculty, in consideration of all their identities to ensure a community of support and successful educational outcomes.
• Inclusion: a campus where everyone feels a sense of community and has a voice. 
• Diversity: a community where different cultures are represented, recognized and celebrated.
• Access: a community where all students have access to academic tools and student support resources to help them succeed.
• Liberation: building an equitable and antiracist community where members, especially students, are valued as whole human beings and are empowered to express themselves fully in pursuit of their goals.

Cañada College is dedicated to transforming lives:

• Students’ Feelings – Students move forward from Cañada feeling proud, accomplished and prepared for what is next for them.
• Being Supportive - Meeting Students’ Needs & Providing Opportunities – Provide a supportive environment where we work to meet students’ needs and provide opportunities to all students, so that they can continue the work of transforming their own lives.
• Evolving Ourselves to Continue to Be Able to Transform Lives – In order for Cañada to be a place where students can transform their lives, we need to continually listen to our students’ needs and grow and adapt as an institution to stay relevant and meaningful to our students.

As a community college, Cañada College recognizes the utmost importance of cultivating and fostering strong relationships and partnerships with our community, including high schools, businesses, organizations and individuals. These partnerships allow our college to successfully:

1. Reach out to, recruit and retain students
2. Provide access to a college education for members of the community
3. Enrich academic programs and create pipelines for students to explore and enter careers
4. Reflect the culture of the community we serve
5. Use our campus and resources to address the needs of our community

Cañada College values fostering curious, self-directed, and responsible adult learners. Academic excellence goes beyond the classroom, equipping students with skills that serve them in all domains of their lives. Individualized learning experiences are essential to the success of all our students, ensuring that they recognize and develop their unique selves in the process of completing their academic work. Facilitating meaningful learning experiences is also essential for maintaining a culture of academic honesty and trust. Learning at Cañada College involves transformative life experiences that benefit both individuals and their communities.

Cañada College works to sustain the health of the planet to promote social justice and robust economies for all, in perpetuity.  As stewards of a college campus, Cañada College endeavors to minimize our negative impact on the environment (for example, limit carbon footprint, decrease production of waste and greenhouse gasses), while promoting a culture of environmental awareness.

Cañada College values transparency and authenticity in all aspects of the college:

• Speak in plain and understandable language, rather than in educational jargon.
• Take personal responsibility for addressing problems that arise, rather than placing blame on official policies, administrative procedures, or other people.
• Promote awareness among students that they are allowed to attend meetings and give input.
• Be honest and follow through to the end on promises.
• Articulate solutions, not slogans.

Cañada College values a culture of adaptability and resilience.   As a critical part of our region’s socio-economic infrastructure, the College is adaptable and willing to change in order to suit the dynamic, changing needs of our region. Our culture of resilience supports all of our college community members in being able to recover quickly from adversity and unexpected challenges.  

As a student-centered institution, Cañada College puts the needs of students first and recognizes our duty to address the Obligation Gap - our responsibility as an institution to address the most pressing equity gaps in student outcomes. Proactive in understanding the changing needs of individuals and groups of students, the College seeks to align its teaching, curriculum, services, policies and goals to best support student needs. The College values norms of behavior that help ensure that students feel their voices are heard and not being undermined or silenced.

Recognizing that members of its community come from many different cultures, Cañada College values empathy, understanding and respect for cultural differences and similarities within, among and between groups. Cañada College seeks to honor diversity, mitigate implicit bias, and promote empathy in a manner that acknowledges power imbalances and supports all community members in achieving their educational and professional goals.