History

The Arts & Olive Festival at Cañada College began in 1998 as part of Cañada’s 30 year anniversary celebration to benefit student scholarships. The festival has since grown to be one of the largest scholarship fundraisers of the year providing much needed financial assistance to students. The celebration now brings together more than 70 vendors consisting of some of the olive industry’s top experts to provide the community with olive education, olive and olive oil tasting, olive related products, and an abundance of quality art works and gifts. This year’s festival will also serve as a kick-off to the Cañada College Performing Arts Series, sponsored by the Associated Students of Cañada College, bringing some of the Bay Area’s most spectacular performers to the Peninsula.

Cañada College has had a special relationship with olives since its inception. When the college was built in the late sixties, the olive trees were carefully removed during construction and planted in a temporary location under the protective custody of the San Mateo Community College District's Buildings & Grounds experts. The olive trees were replanted in time for the college's official opening in 1968. Thirty-five years later, the trees are thriving and are an integral part of the campus. The graceful leathery olive trees bearing gray-green leaves haven't changed much in thirty-five years. However, the college has charged into the future with a brand-new look for its classrooms, state of the art facilities and innovative programs that improve access to higher education and provide local industry with a highly qualified workforce.

About Cañada College

Founded in 1968, Cañada College overlooks Silicon Valley at the southern end of San Mateo County. Cañada offers hundreds of academic, transfer and career classes during the day, in the evening and on weekends. With more than 6,000 students, Cañada is recognized statewide as No.1 among community colleges in northern California for successful transfer rates and degree completion. As a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution, Cañada provides a rich and diverse environment for students of all ages and backgrounds.

The University Center at Cañada College offers on-site bachelor degrees, a teacher credentialing program, and an Executive MBA program from numerous Bay Area universities including San Francisco State University, California State University-Hayward, California State University-Monterey Bay, and Golden Gate University. The University Center allows students to continue beyond the lower division coursework offered by the community college into upper division and graduate programs. This unique collaboration was the first in California that places university courses and programs onsite at a community college.