Mount Tamalpais College

06/22/2026

NBA Champ for the Golden State Warriors and philanthropist Festus Ezeli recently visited Mount Tamalpais College at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, where he met with incarcerated students and Public Information Officer Lt. Guim’Mara Berry, who provided a tour of the prison.

During the tour, Festus visited the new San Quentin Learning Center and spoke with students in a college English class, where they told him about the rigor of MTC's college program, the challenges they face, and the importance of sharing their stories with the world.

He also spent time with students in their housing units, on the yard, and in the Media Center, where San Quentin residents work as journalists or as music, film, and podcast producers.

We’re grateful to Festus for taking the time to visit, listen, and engage with the MTC community.

06/18/2026

This spring, NationSwell returned to San Quentin Rehabilitation Center to visit Mount Tamalpais College and engage with MTC students and staff.

NationSwell members toured the San Quentin Learning Center, which serves as the College campus and is also home to our friends at San Quentin News, KALW's Uncuffed Program, Ear Hustle Podcast, and other programs focused on education, storytelling, and media production.

They also participated in a roundtable discussion with students enrolled in PSY 170: Diagnosing & Treating Psychological Trauma, an Early College Seminar that offers students an academic framework for understanding trauma and exploring tools to address its impact in their own lives.

06/11/2026

This summer, seven graduates will celebrate the completion of their associate degrees from Mount Tamalpais College at a ceremony inside San Quentin.

Meet the 2026 graduates and learn more about what this milestone means to them: https://www.mttamcollege.edu/2026-commencement/

06/10/2026

This Friday, Mount Tamalpais College student and poet George “Mesro” Coles-El will be a featured speaker for The Imprisoned Voice, a new recurring series presented by Clio’s Books in collaboration with Pollen Initiative.

The series brings together poets, fiction and creative nonfiction writers, scholars, and philosophers who produce their work from within American prisons. The first conversation in the series, featuring Mesro, will explore the role of art, voice, and creative expression inside prison.

Event details:
Friday, June 12, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Clio’s Books (353 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA)

Learn more and register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-imprisoned-voice-tickets-1990286118357

Poetry, fiction, and philosophy with writers and scholars behind bars.

06/04/2026

This spring, Mount Tamalpais College relocated to the new San Quentin Learning Center, an 80,000-square-foot educational complex within San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.

The space offers unprecedented opportunities to expand access to higher education inside San Quentin, with increased space for instruction, advising, student support, and other academic programming.

Stay tuned for more updates from the new campus throughout the year.

06/02/2026

As the daughter of an MTC alumnus, Alyssa Tamboura has seen firsthand how higher education in prison can shape lives far beyond the classroom.

In her remarks at Together We Climb, Alyssa reflected on the ripple effects of higher education sin prison and the importance of investing in MTC’s work: “The hope and belief that good things are possible can weave itself into the generational fabric of families.”

Help expand what’s possible by supporting MTC’s rigorous, tuition-free higher education at San Quentin: https://give.mttamcollege.edu/campaign/781953/donate?c_src=Social

05/26/2026

Thank you to the San Francisco Examiner and Drew Altizer Photography for spotlighting Mount Tamalpais College’s 30th Anniversary Gala.

“For many, it was a reunion — teachers and former students, classmates who had not seen one another since their time inside San Quentin, now gathering in a San Francisco event space to mark 30 years of the institution’s life-changing mission.”

We’re grateful to everyone who has joined us in celebrating three decades of teaching, learning, and transformation at San Quentin.

Read the full SF Examiner feature: https://www.sfexaminer.com/photo_galleries/drew-altizer/mount-tamalpais-college-turns-30-with-night-of-reunion-reflection/article_4e2f764b-85fb-4c19-b905-20aa4af2d634.html

Learn about Mount Tamalpais College's 30th Anniversary Gala, where alum Alyssa Tamboura shared her inspiring story of her father's education while in San Quentin, highlighting the transformative work of the nation's only accredited liberal arts college for incarcerated students.

05/20/2026

Mount Tamalpais College alumnus Forrest Jones has reached another milestone in his educational journey: earning a master’s degree in social work from California State University, East Bay.

CBS News recently profiled Forrest, who became the first CSU East Bay Project Rebound graduate in 2023. This spring, at 62, he crossed the stage again.

Today, Forrest remains active in the MTC community and continues to return to San Quentin to speak with current students — and he is already looking ahead to a doctorate.

Read the full story: https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/cal-state-east-bay-project-rebound-grows-first-grad-masters/

When Forrest Jones earned his bachelor's degree three years ago, he was one of only two Project Rebound graduates at Cal State East Bay. This year, the program had 85 students, including 20 graduates.

05/18/2026

Take a look back at Together We Climb, Mount Tamalpais College's unforgettable 30th Anniversary Gala.

With MTC faculty member Omair Akhtar as Master of Ceremonies, the event marked a milestone moment for the College and celebrated the community that has shaped its work across three decades.

Explore the full event highlights, including photos, speech videos, press coverage and more: mttamcollege.edu/gala

05/13/2026

Mount Tamalpais College is delighted to welcome Stephany D. Baker as our new Chief Operating Officer.

Stephany brings more than 25 years of experience in organizational leadership, strategy and culture development across higher education and nonprofit settings, including most recently at Stanford University. At MTC, she is helping strengthen the systems, teams and operations that help bring the College’s mission to life.

“Joining Mount Tamalpais College wasn’t a career decision, it was a calling,” Stephany shared.

Read the full story: https://www.mttamcollege.edu/stephany-baker-chief-operating-officer/