President - Cabrillo College

Welcome to the

President's Office

Dr. Matt Wetstein is in his 8th year as President of Cabrillo College. As a CEO he has played an active role in advocating for community college students on affordability and housing insecurity issues. He served as co-chair of the Affordability, Food and Housing Access Task Force for the Community College League of California from 2021-2023. While serving on the task force, he contributed to two major policy briefs calling for student housing funding in the CCC system and for increased financial aid funding. During his tenure at Cabrillo, he helped establish the first community college partnership with Landed to provide housing down payment assistance for teachers and staff at the college. He has championed housing projects and Cabrillo secured $111 million in state-backed funding for an innovative student housing project with UCSC. Matt has also participated in the Cabrillo Hispanic Serving Institution task force and collaborates with an internal Cabrillo leadership team that is implementing programs and practices to make the college more welcoming and inclusive to students and the community. During his term at Cabrillo, the college has also implemented the UMOJA program for African American student success and the Rising Scholars Program for justice-impacted students. Matt also has served on several local economic development and non-profit boards, including the United Way, Agri-Culture, Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce, Santa Cruz County Business Council, Monterey Bay Economic Partnership, Santa Cruz Symphony, and the Sutter-PAMF Community Advisory Board.

Matt earned a Master's and Doctoral degree in political science from Northern Illinois University (DeKalb, IL). He started his academic career as a political science professor and has won teaching awards from both students and his peers, including the Academic Senate's Distinguished Faculty Award. He has been a statewide leader in the planning and research field, having served on the Board and as President of the Research and Planning Group of California Community Colleges. Matt was a member of the pioneering class of Aspen Institute Presidential Fellows for Community College Excellence, a group of 40 community college leaders selected for training in leadership and change at U.S. community colleges.

Our Philosophy

Mission

We are a welcoming community college dedicated to providing an equitable, high-quality education. We are committed to helping students meet their career, academic, and life goals, guiding them in becoming culturally responsive leaders, effective communicators, and critical thinkers. We work to promote economic liberation and social justice, eradicate structural racism, and foster inclusivity by cultivating an environment of innovative teaching practices, support services, and learning opportunities for all students, especially those from historically marginalized communities.

Vision and Value Statements

Vision Statement

Championing our community of diverse learners through innovative education towards economic freedom and social equity.

Values Statements

As a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), we are committed to supporting equitable access and opportunities for historically underrepresented and emerging student populations. These values demonstrate our dynamic learning environment where students reach their full potential as future leaders, innovative thinkers, and global citizens.

Equity, Student Focus, and Respect - We respect the diverse and often unrecognized journeys and achievements of each person, and the fundamental dignity of every human being.
Inclusive Teaching and Learning - We provide a supportive environment that enhances the learner's experience in the accumulation of knowledge, the sharing of ideas, and the celebration of achievement both within the classroom and throughout the college's community of learners.
Excellence, Collaboration, and Ethics - We encourage and support the brave and courageous exchange of ideas nurtured through respect, trust, and consideration of differences.
Social Justice, Global Citizenship, and Ecological Stewardship - We commit to social justice and fostering transformative change in our mindset and actions individually, institutionally, and in our communities toward building a socially and ecologically just and sustainable world.