Mount Tamalpais College

MTC News

Join MTC and Red Hen Press for a discussion on Storytelling and the Muslim Community

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Join Red Hen Press and Mount Tamalpais College (virtually) on Thursday, November 18 at 6 p.m. for this special partnership event highlighting storytelling and the Muslim community.

The event will feature writers Ayeh Bandeh-Ahmadi, Umar Hanif, Tariq Luthun, and Faisal Mohyuddin from Red Hen’s New Moons: Contemporary Writing by North American Muslims anthology, anthology editor Kazim Ali, filmmaker R.J. Lozada, and Mount Tamalpais College alum Sajad Shakoor, we are proud to present an important and vital conversation on the power and necessity of storytelling from members of underrepresented and too-often neglected communities.

The event will feature brief readings, a short film screening, and a panel discussion. Register here!

Save the Date for Reaching Higher

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Join us on April 22, 2022 for Reaching Higher, our first in-person celebration since 2018. This special evening will gather former students and their families, faculty, partners, and supporters for a celebration of our officially becoming Mount Tamalpais College, and all that we have achieved as a community along the way.

Individual tickets will go on sale in January, with special ticket options and pricing for formerly incarcerated guests and their families. To join us as an event sponsor or host, you can learn more about sponsorship levels and benefits here and purchase a sponsorship package here or by contacting us at development@mttamcollege.org.

We can’t wait to be with our community again in celebration and support of this powerful work. See you there!

Fall 2021 Course Offerings

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We’re delighted to share that in-person courses at San Quentin resumed on September 14, and we’re thrilled to be back in the classroom with our students after over a year apart. This fall semester brings back some beloved courses and introduces a few new offerings to our course catalogue. Below is a complete list of our fall 2021 course offerings and their instructors. Thank you to our incredible faculty and tutors for your dedication to our students! Inspired to join us? We will soon be recruiting faculty for the spring 2022 semester — stay tuned. 


CHM 111: General Chemistry with Lab

Taught by Randal Pendleton, Maxwell Coyle, and Noam Prywes


COM 146: Communications

Taught by Theresa Roeder, Alex Naeve, and William Bondurant


ENG 101A: Reading and Composition

Taught by Joel Childers


ENG 101B: Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing

Taught by Matthew Culler


ENG 204: Interdisciplinary Reading, Writing and Research

Taught by Mari Larangeira, John Fielding


ENG 99A: Developmental English I

Taught by Amy Shea, David Buuck


ENG 99A: Developmental English I

Taught by Susan Hirsch, Oliver Organista, Natasha Haugnes


ENG 99B: Developmental English II

Taught by Cherie McNaulty, Alestra Menendez


ENG 99B: Developmental English II

Taught by Alex Naeve, Anoop Jain


EST 204: Environmental Science

Taught by Emily Barnes, Salma Elmallah


GS 99: Introduction to College

Taught by Nigel Hatton


GS 99: Introduction to College

Taught by Priya Kandaswamy


HIS 101: U.S. History I

Taught by Benjamin Perez, Ian Sethre


HIS 280: Special Topic: The History and Art of Ancient Egypt

Taught by Rita Lucarelli


MTH 115: Intermediate Algebra

Taught by Mark Dittmer, Noah Bonnheim, Theo McKenzie


MTH 50A: Developmental Math I

Taught by Anila Yadavalli, Billy Morrison, David Wong, Juleen Lam


MTH 50B: Developmental Math II

Taught by Emmanuel Schaan, Judy King, and Mia Ihm


MTH 99: Elementary Algebra

Taught by Drew Behnke, Jean Chadbourne, and Kenny Daniels


PHL 270: Ethics

Taught by Bill Smoot


SOC 230: Sociology

Taught by Jane Yamashiro


SSC 280: Special Topic: Introduction to Linguistics and Language Studies

Taught by Gabriella Licata, William Scheuerman


GS WKSP: Workshop: Ethics Bowl

Taught by Kyle Robertson and Collin Anthony

Meet Anila Yadavalli, Math Program Coordinator

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As we kick off a new semester (our first in-person since the pandemic began!) we’re also welcoming an incredible group of new staff, which includes some familiar faces and former students. Get to know Anila, our new Math Program Coordinator, in her own words below.

What brings you to work at Mount Tamalpais College?

I have a very technical mathematics background, but deep inside I’ve always been drawn towards outreach and social justice projects. I was looking for roles in which I could combine my mathematics and teaching background with social justice and the Math Program Coordinator role was exactly that. The cherry on top is that I get to move back to the Bay Area, where I grew up!

What part of your role is most exciting to you so far? What are you most looking forward to?

As an educator, I obviously love interacting with students, but I am also super excited about training faculty. Having been on the volunteer side of a non-profit for a few years I know how valuable it can be to have the support of paid staff, and I am excited to provide that for our faculty. I’ve also been an advocate for free, accessible education for a really long time, so it feels great to join an organization that is advancing that mission!

Tell us about a formative educational experience you had. Was there a class, teacher, or academic experience that influenced the course of your life?

My high school pre-calculus teacher was amazing; she was the first person to ever notice/praise my mathematics work. Until then, I was always told that math would be a subject I would perpetually struggle in. She noticed my hard work and creative thinking, and that made me decide I wanted to be a math teacher just like her! (Mrs. Warmuth from Lynbrook High School, if you are reading this, thank you so much!)

What unique skills, experiences, or perspectives do you bring to Mount Tam College?

I’ve lived and taught in so many different environments, from North India to North Carolina. Along the way, I have encountered so many different students who bring all kinds of different “mathematical baggage” with them to the classroom. Over the years, I’ve learned that struggling with math as an adult learner is a very frustrating and vulnerable, but common, place to be in. Recognizing this, I try to bring empathy to my teaching approach and try to make learning math a joyful experience.

What are your interests outside of work?

I love Yoga with Adriene! I completed two of her 30-day challenges this year, and I am planning to get my Yoga Teacher Training in the near future. I also love cooking vegetarian food and hiking. Pre-covid, I was very into indoor bouldering, and now that gyms are opening back up, I hope to get back on the walls!

Community Dialogues with Assemblymember Marc Levine

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We are excited to share the next installment in our Community Dialogues series. For this conversation, Mount Tamalpais College alum Bonaru Richardson and president Jody Lewen were joined by Assemblymember Marc Levine. Assemblymember Levine represents Marin and Sonoma Counties in the State Assembly, and we were honored by his nomination of Mount Tamalpais College as a 2021 Nonprofit of the Year. Their wide-ranging conversation includes discussions of education, power, the COVID-19 pandemic at San Quentin, and how we can all work together to make change. Watch the full conversation below.

Seeking Writing and Math Instructors for Fall

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Many thanks to those who have applied to teach with Mount Tamalpais College for our first term back to in-person classes! We are in the process of placing faculty, and we’re currently seeking a few more college preparatory writing and math instructors with prior teaching or tutoring experience in these areas. The schedule of courses is listed below; the term runs September 7 through December 17.

If you are interested in serving as a writing instructor, please email Priya Kandaswamy at pkandaswamy@mttamcollege.org.

If you are interested in serving as a math instructor, please email Kirsten Pickering at kpickering@mttamcollege.org.

Course Schedule

Writing

ENG99A: Course I of Introduction to Pre-college Writing (Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings 6:00 – 8:00 pm)
ENG99B: Course II of Introduction to Pre-college Writing (Sunday and Tuesday evenings 6:00 – 8:00 pm)

Math

MTH 50A: Basic arithmetic, decimals, fractions (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings 6:00 – 8:00 pm)
MTH 50B: Pre-algebra (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings 6:00 – 8:00 pm)
MTH 99: Elementary Algebra (Sunday and Tuesday afternoons 3:00 – 5:00 pm and Friday evenings 6:00 – 8:00 pm)
MTH 115: Intermediate Algebra (Sunday and Tuesday afternoons 3:00 – 5:00 pm and Friday evenings 6:00 – 8:00 pm)

Mount Tamalpais College Awarded one of 2021 California Nonprofits of the Year

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Mount Tamalpais College honored by Assemblymember Marc Levine

San Rafael, June 25, 2021 – Mount Tamalpais College is proud to announce its selection as a 2021 California Nonprofit of the Year by Assemblymember Marc Levine. Mount Tamalpais College is one of more than one hundred nonprofits that will be honored by their state senators and assemblymembers for their tremendous contributions to the communities they serve.

Mount Tamalpais College (formerly the Prison University Project) provides an intellectually rigorous, inclusive Associate of Arts degree program and college preparatory program, free of charge, to people at San Quentin State Prison. It strives to expand access to quality higher education for incarcerated people; and to foster the values of equity, civic engagement, independence of thought, and freedom of expression. For over twenty years, the College Program at San Quentin has been the site of a unique educational enterprise for one of our country’s most vulnerable populations. More than 4,500 students have participated in the program since its founding. Hundreds of alumni are now living, working and/or continuing their studies throughout the state of California.

From Jody Lewen, President of Mount Tamalpais College: “We are overjoyed and deeply grateful to receive this recognition from Assemblymember Levine, especially at such a special moment in the life of our new academic institution. We hope that the community of Marin County, and the state as a whole, will recognize and embrace the transformative and groundbreaking work being done by Mount Tamalpais College, and join us in lifting up the community of San Quentin Prison, and the larger incarcerated population, for the betterment of all.”

“The pandemic and shelter-in-place orders of the past year and a half have put nonprofits – usually hidden in plain sight – in the spotlight,” explains Jan Masaoka, CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits (CalNonprofits). “California Nonprofit of the Year is an opportunity for our elected officials to celebrate the good work they see nonprofits doing in their districts, and for everyone to appreciate the collective impact of nonprofits in our communities.”

Additional Background

California Nonprofits Day, now in its sixth year, was formally recognized by 2021 Assembly Concurrent Resolution 80, authored by Assemblymember Luz Rivas, and co-authored by Senator Monique Limón. Each year legislators from across California have chosen a Nonprofit of the Year in their district.

Traditionally, honorees and legislators are invited by CalNonprofits, Chair of the Senate Select Committee on the Nonprofit Sector Senator Monique Limón (Santa Barbara), and Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on the Nonprofit Sector Assemblymember Luz Rivas to a celebratory luncheon on California Nonprofits Day. This year, like 2020, the luncheon was canceled in response to pandemic restrictions, but legislators moved forward with honoring nonprofits doing great work in their districts.

According to “Causes Count,” a 2019 report commissioned by CalNonprofits, the nonprofit sector is the 4 th largest industry in the state, employing more than 1.2 million people. Each year, California nonprofits generate more than $273 billion in revenue and bring in $40 billion in revenue from outside of California. The unpaid labor contributed by volunteers at nonprofits is equivalent to 330,000 full-time jobs every year.

In-Person Classes to Resume in September

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We are thrilled to announce that we have been approved to return to in-person classes inside San Quentin in September. During the summer, we will plan and prepare for the fall semester, run extracurricular activities, provide student advising, and rebuild our campus community. We also launched a summer correspondence term on June 1 with 16 courses, alongside college preparatory math and writing. These one-credit, elective courses qualify for Milestones, which allows a student who passes three correspondence courses to have three weeks reduced from his sentence. The courses for our summer term are listed below.

College Preparatory Math

College Preparatory Writing

BIO 180: The COVID mRNA Vaccine: The Product of Decades of Research

ENG 180: What is Poetry?

ENG 180: Building Fiction from True Stories

ENG 180: Wilderness Stories

EST 180: 1 ST: Contemporary Environmental Issues

EST 180: Introduction to Energy Systems

HED 180: Foundations of Global Public Health

HIS 180: 20th Century Social Justice Movements

HIS 180: The 1619 Project: Examining the Debate over Slavery and the Nation’s Founding

HIS 180: Histories and Strategies of Decolonization

MTH 180: Introduction to Trigonometry

MTH 180: Introduction to Geometry

POL 180: Mutual Aid

POL 180: Parties and Polarization Today

PSY 180: Psychologies of Liberation

PSY 180: The Psychology and Literature of Memory

We piloted correspondence courses in Spring 2021 during the extensive lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 200 students took courses on a range of topics, including Climate Change, Poetry In Times of Crisis, and Landmark U.S. Court Cases. Although mail delivery slowdowns created hurdles, feedback from students showed that the pilot was a success. We are looking forward to supporting students and faculty with the summer semester and returning to face-to-face instruction.

Historic Agreement Reached Allowing Laptop Use by Students

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We are thrilled to announce that we have reached a historic agreement with the administration at San Quentin State Prison around the use of technology by Mount Tamalpais College students. As we resume in-person classes, we will have laptops, charging carts, and printers available in the prison for student and faculty use. Students will be able to use laptops during class or in the education building.

Laptops will allow students to conduct research independently and access learning supports and word processing capabilities. They may also access online resources available on the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Canvas Learning Management System. This initiative will begin on a limited basis, and will gradually be expanded over time.

This agreement represents a significant gain for our students. For the past twenty-five years, students have not had access to technology or computers during their studies. They have handwritten work and conducted research using printouts and course readers sourced by faculty members and a limited collection of books. In fact, very few programs at San Quentin have been allowed to bring any technology or equipment inside the prison, resulting in a marked technology gap among incarcerated people upon their release.

Ultimately, we hope that students will have access to the laptops during lockdowns or quarantines and be able to engage in synchronous and asynchronous remote instruction as needed. We are now in the process of purchasing and processing the equipment for use as in-person programming resumes. 

Staff Spotlight: Jen Juras

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We’re thrilled to welcome Jen Juras as Mount Tamalpais College’s new Chief of Institutional Effectiveness and Research. We asked Jen a few questions to learn more about her background, professional and personal interests, and approach to research and evaluation.

What drew you to this position? 

This role is the perfect blend of my experience, interests, and skills. Back in Michigan, I worked in criminal and juvenile justice reform research and advocacy, and for the past five years here in California, I’ve worked in higher education institutional research. They fit together so perfectly—I never thought that would exist.

What values and interests drive your work as a leader and researcher? 

I’m really attracted to Mt. Tam’s mission of bringing high quality education to all people incarcerated in San Quentin [State Prison]. I think education is a right and an important tool to help people reach their goals and have a voice in their communities. It’s a mission that I can really get behind and that I’m excited about.

How do you plan to approach your work over the coming year? 

There’s a lot to be done for accreditation so that’s a big focus right now. It’s actually nice that it’s happening that way because it provides extra guidance and support around setting up a really effective and comprehensive system of assessment. I’m looking forward to creating systems for assessment and evaluation in partnership with other staff and faculty.

What work are you most excited to dive into?

I’m really looking forward to engaging Mt. Tam’s students in the assessment process. In my past, I did a lot of participatory action research and participatory evaluation with both youth and adults. I think engaging stakeholders and having them be a part of the process to make sure we’re asking the right questions and that we’re going about collecting the strongest data is very important. They [students] can help interpret the results and decide what they mean, and help figure out the ‘So what?’ ‘What do we do to address what we found?’ ‘What actions do we take?’ ‘How do we improve the program?’ To me, that’s the most exciting part of research and evaluation and I’m really looking forward to doing that at Mount Tam College.

How will your work support the ongoing improvement of Mount Tamalpais College? How will it enhance student success?  

For all research and evaluation, the idea is that you’re engaged in a cycle of gathering information so that you can set goals, gathering data to figure out if you’re meeting your goals, collecting additional information to figure out why or why not, and then making course adjustments. Part of that process is just making sure you have data to know if you are being successful.

A question for Mount Tam is: what does student success mean? In more traditional colleges, a typical marker of student success is first-year retention—how many of the students who enrolled one fall return the following fall—but obviously that doesn’t work for us. Another one is time to graduation. That also doesn’t work perfectly for this population; from what I understand, it would be difficult for our students to take a full-time course load of 12-15 credits. So student success is going to look different…I think it’s going to have to incorporate learning what the goals are of particular students involved and not just tying to degree completion, but also tying to whether students are getting what they need to accomplish their own personal goals.

What are your interests outside of work?

I love trail running, especially long distance mountain trail running in other countries. I have a couple of friends I like to sign up for adventure races with—we like to sign up for things that scare us a little bit. One of my favorite races was a marathon that started at Mount Everest base camp.  That was really challenging and scary and exhilaratingly fun. I did another marathon with a friend that went along the Inca Trail route to Machu Picchu. I love the process of signing up for something that scares me a little bit and figuring out a plan to prepare to get there to do it.