Mount Tamalpais College

Announcements

Call for Papers: Academic Conference Spring 2020

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In the spring of 2020, the Prison University Project will host its second academic conference at San Quentin State Prison. The conference, conceived and planned by a committee of Prison University Project College Program students and staff, will take place inside San Quentin on April 17, 2020, from approximately 8AM-5PM and will involve panels of incarcerated and nonincarcerated scholars. Last year’s conference demonstrated the influential perspective shifts that can occur when different communities contribute to dialog around central debates. We welcome proposals for individual papers (20 minutes in length) and full panels.

This year, our theme is “We Are All Directly Impacted: Mapping Societal Wellness, Institutions, and Self.” Starting with the observation that both self and institution are socially constructed, our conference aims to explore the ways in which pathways to reaching our individual full potential intersect and conflict with the various social contracts and norms that we are born into. Some institutions, like marriage, effectively create more rights for many participants, while others, like prison, purport to create a safer society by denying rights to those people within its confines. In a similar vein, some institutions like higher education are exclusive to varying degrees, while others, like gender, are largely assigned at birth and difficult to opt out of. At various times throughout the history of this nation, the freedom to drink alcohol, love or marry whom one wants, have various medical procedures, and travel freely, have been deemed detrimental to a healthy society, at the expense of personal wellness. Conversely, institutions that perform policing, military operations, border control, and health or education are considered by many to be essential to our personal wellness.

We hope to discuss these topics and more at our conference:

  • What is wellness?
  • Is it possible in the context of institutions?
  • How do the individual and the institution intersect?
  • What roles can institutions play in helping individuals reach their full potential?
  • What institutions are missing from our society?
  • What are some empirical indicators of societal wellness?
  • How could these indicators be improved?
  • What are pathways for people with different political ideologies or identities to dialog more effectively?
  • How do wellness and freedom play out across societal structures, identities, and communities?
  • How do different social ways of being affect personal wellness?
  • What roles can or should individuals play to help systems or institutions reach their full potential?
  • How should society respond to people who don’t conform to our institutions or norms?
  • How can institutions of education be reimagined to help more people reach their full potential?

The Prison University Project has been running a college for people incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison since 1996. We run twenty classes each semester and have over 700 active students. The mission of the Prison University Project is to provide an intellectually rigorous, inclusive Associate of Arts degree program and college preparatory program, free of charge, to people at San Quentin State Prison; 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.

To propose a paper or panel please send a 300-500-word proposal, 100-word abstract (for the conference program), and a 50-word biography to conference@prisonuniversityproject.org. Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis through the end of November. Presenters will not have to pay a registration fee. Unfortunately, it won’t be possible to have non-presenters attend the conference because of severe space limitations. Please send any questions to conference@prinsonuniversityproject.org.

For more info on last year’s conference, see our news post, “San Quentin’s First Academic Conference: “Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reform—21st Century Solutions for 20th Century Problems.”

Please note that the Prison University Project became Mount Tamalpais College in September 2020.

Introducing Our New Director of Student Affairs

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We are thrilled to welcome David Durand as our new Director of Student Affairs.

David Durand is a staunch believer in the notion that everyone deserves a quality education. Since 2004, David has involved himself in professional roles across the U.S. and in Haiti that aim to provide meaningful education and career development for students whose life experiences moved them away from traditional academic paths. David’s main area of interest focuses on utilizing education to decrease recidivism for students of all ages. This stems from his upbringing where, as a young person, many of his peers were caught in the school/prison nexus. After experiencing a profoundly moving semester as an English 99 Instructor, David is beyond excited to join the PUP team in this critical stage of the organization’s history. David holds a BA in French from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and an MA in Education, Leadership, and Change from Antioch University, Los Angeles. In his free time, David is active with his wife and sons exploring nature, playing guitar, or falling with grace on skateboards.

Please note that the Prison University Project became Mount Tamalpais College in September 2020.

Introducing our new Chief Operating Officer

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We are thrilled to welcome Reed Goertler as our new Chief Operating Officer.

Reed Goertler has been committed to working in organizations that address the needs of underserved populations throughout his career and is looking forward to assisting the Prison University Project in its important mission. In 1998 he began working in 501(c)3 institutions affiliated with UCSF and Stanford University that addressed inequities in alcoholism/addiction and cancer research and funding. Reed oversaw administration, assuming the positions of Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer and Legal and Regulatory Affairs Officer. His early professional career spans work in the nascent biotech industry in finance and business development. Reed lives in Lafayette with his partner and the youngest of their five children. When not working, Reed enjoys kayaking, hiking and is pursuing a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology.

Please note that the Prison University Project became Mount Tamalpais College in September 2020.

Our 2018 Annual Report is Now Available

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Our first annual report is now available! Last year was a big year for us, and we’re grateful for all of our community members who helped make it a success. Check out what we accomplished in 2018 by clicking below.

Please note that the Prison University Project became Mount Tamalpais College in September 2020.

Introducing Our New Grants Officer and Executive Assistant

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We are thrilled to welcome Sharyl McGrew as our new Grants Officer and Wendy Quezada as our new Executive Assistant.

Sharyl McGrew is excited to bring her extensive experience in nonprofit fundraising and higher education administration to the Prison University Project development team. Prior to joining the Prison University Project, she worked as a grant writing and project management consultant for a range of education and social service clients, raising over $40 million. She also worked for 7 years at the WASC Senior College and University Commission, overseeing several key accreditation processes and making policy recommendations related to innovation and change in higher education. From 2009-16, she taught English and Communications classes for the Prison University Project and also volunteered with San Quentin’s Alliance for Change. Sharyl earned a BA in English Literature from UC Santa Cruz and an MS in Community and Regional Development from UC Davis.

Prior to joining Prison University Project, Wendy Quezada worked in higher education and non-profits in the Bay Area. As the first in her family to obtain a college degree, she is passionate about access to quality education for all.  In her spare time, she loves taking her two dogs on long hikes, and spending time with her husband and two young daughters. Wendy holds a B.A. in Anthropology and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.

Please note that the Prison University Project became Mount Tamalpais College in September 2020.

Introducing New Board Members

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Published in the April 2019 newsletter, which you can read in its entirety here.

In 2018, the Prison University Project welcomed six new members to the board of directors.

  • Elana Leoni
  • Haley Pollack
  • Jeff Feinman
  • Kathy Richards
  • Patrice Berry
  • Theresa Roeder

Theresa Roeder is Professor of Decision Sciences in the College of Business at San Francisco State University. There, she is actively involved in improving student access to education as well as the education itself. She earned her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at UC Berkeley, where she also occasionally teaches. Theresa is a current Prison University Project math tutor and has co-taught Introduction to Business and Communications. She previously served on the Board of Directors for and as webmaster of the Oakland Symphony Chorus.

Jeff Feinman is the West Coast Executive Director of Springboard Collaborative, a nonprofit that supports school districts to close the reading achievement gap through family engagement. Prior to leading Springboard, Jeff was the Vice President of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula where he redesigned all college access programming. A Bay Area native and UC Berkeley and USF alum, Jeff also led Mission Graduates as its Executive Director from 2006-2012 and founded The DJ Project — an urban arts program that leverages hip-hop pedagogy and entrepreneurship to engage young adult populations. The program celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2019.

Patrice Berry is currently a FUSE Corps Executive Advisor in the Office of Mayor Libby Schaaf in Oakland, CA. Previously, she was the Director of College Track, East Palo Alto. Prior to College Track, Patrice served as director of the Student Success Center at the Netter Center for Community Partnerships and co-founded the Leaders of Change program. Patrice earned her B.A. in political science from Swarthmore College and holds an M.Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, where she was a Woodrow Wilson-Rockefeller Brothers Fund fellow. She currently is completing her Ph.D. at Temple University.

Haley Pollack is the Principal of College and Career Pathways at Five Keys Schools and Programs. She has been an educator for over ten years, working in a variety of capacities to help students meet their own educational goals and gain confidence in their own innate abilities. After receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she taught History and Gender Studies to a wide range of students at San Francisco State University, Diablo Valley College, and Santa Clara University. As a volunteer with the Prison University Project, Haley taught a number of classes, including working in study hall as a writing tutor. As an advisor at College Track, she worked with low-income and first-generation college students, helping them to achieve their goals of a college degree.

Kathy Richards, J.D., retired from a solo law practice focused on family and dependency law. She has served as an instructor since 2014 for the Prison University Project and as coach for San Quentin’s Ethics Bowl team. Kathy is currently the Treasurer on the Board of Directors of the Sonoma Speakers Series. Previously, Kathy served as a Board member for the Lawyer Referral and Information Services under the auspices of the SF Bar Association and as a Board member and Secretary of the Willmar Family Grief & Healing Center. She has taught as an Adjunct Professor of Legal Writing and Research at Golden Gate University School of Law and Adjunct Professor of Family Law at SF State Paralegal Program.

Elana D. Leoni is the Founder of Leoni Consulting Group LLC, a boutique consultancy aimed at helping edtech organizations with their online marketing efforts, specifically focusing on social media, influencer, and content marketing, along with authentic community building. Prior to this, Elana spent eight years as the Director of Social Media Strategy & Marketing at Edutopia / The George Lucas Educational Foundation. Elana also spent five years within a marketing capacity at a SaaS corporate philanthropy startup, specializing in CSR and corporate volunteerism. Elana graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelors in Business Administration from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and recently graduated from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley with her M.B.A.

Please note that the Prison University Project became Mount Tamalpais College in September 2020.

2018 by the Numbers

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2018 was our twenty-second year of offering the College Program at San Quentin. We’re excited to share the following data points from last year.

Over the course of 2018:

  • 407 students completed at least one course in the College Program
  • 282 students enrolled in credit courses
  • 296 students enrolled in college prep courses
  • 2.38 courses were taken by students on average
  • 35% of students enrolled in < 4 units
  • 27% of students enrolled in 4 to 8 units
  • 38% of students enrolled in > 8 units
  • 80% of students completed courses
  • 9 students graduated
  • 29 courses were offered
    • 6 college prep courses
    • 23 credit courses
  • 362 volunteers participated
  • 26,234 hours were donated by volunteers

Please note that the Prison University Project became Mount Tamalpais College in September 2020.

Introducing Our New College Preparatory English Program Coordinator: Deirdre Judge

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We are thrilled to welcome Deirdre Judge as the new College Preparatory English Program Coordinator. Deirdre’s job duties will include: placement and management of English College Prep volunteers, student assessments, development of new student orientation and other student resources, and syllabus and curriculum development. The College Prep Program serves over 225 students annually, and on average, students spend two years in the program before advancing to the credit level courses.

Deirdre has dedicated their career to facilitation and curriculum design according to critical pedagogy. They believe in education as a strategy for freedom. Prior to coming to the Prison University Project, their experiences included teaching a feminist reading group in a women’s state prison, training educators, and tutoring high school and college writing. They hold an MA in Educational Studies from Tufts University. Deirdre loves speculative fiction and is almost always in the mood for homemade chocolate chip cookies.

Please note that the Prison University Project became Mount Tamalpais College in September 2020.

Remembering Jane E. Kahn

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We are sad to announce the passing of Jane E. Kahn, a dear friend and supporter of the Prison University Project. Jane dedicated decades of her life to fiercely protecting the wellbeing and dignity of people incarcerated in California and beyond, and set an example for the world of a life filled with compassion, generosity, and meaning. We will miss her terribly and her spirit will be an integral part of our organization forever. An obituary written by Toby Rubin and published in The Jewish News of Northern California is included below:

The Bay Area Jewish community lost one of its brightest lights with the death of Jane Kahn on Dec. 26, 2018. She was 64. Jane was a model of tikkun olam in all aspects of her life, bringing her belief in the divine within all humans to her family life, her friendships, her work representing and advocating for the rights and dignity of incarcerated individuals, her volunteer leadership in Jewish and secular nonprofits and her philanthropy.

Jane was a fighter. She worked tirelessly on behalf of California’s prisoners, advocating for the civil rights of incarcerated persons with mental illness and other disabilities for decades. She believed that being incarcerated or without a home did not make a person less than human; she recognized the humanity of all around her. She fought against the indignity of homelessness with Religious Witness for Homeless and Hamilton House, against capital punishment with Death Penalty Focus, and for a brighter future for prisoners through Prison University Project.

Jane was also a lover. Her Jewish soul, bright smile, intelligence and tremendous compassion captured the hearts of people wherever she went. It was standing room only at Sinai Memorial Chapel in San Francisco on Dec. 28.

On her second day of college at Brandeis University, Jane met Michael Bien. From that day on, “Jane and Mike” or “Mike and Jane” seemed to be the only way to truly understand either of them. They both were raised in Jewish homes and raised their three sons, Ben, Max and Joey, in communities built through the JCCSF preschool, a family havurah, Brandeis Hillel Day School, Camp Tawonga, New Israel Fund, and Congregations Beth Sholom and Emanu-El. Jane was an active parent and volunteer at all institutions, including her leadership on the Camp Tawonga board.

Jane held Israel —its people and place — deep within her heart. Israel as a political entity became a painful challenge. In her remarks as co-recipient with Mike of the New Israel Fund Guardian of Democracy Award, Jane the lover and Jane the fighter came together. While others whispered to each other about the difficulty of talking about Israel with their young adult children, Jane shared the tensions within her own family. She believed that pushing out of our “tent” young adults who question and challenge the policies and practices of Israel regarding the Palestinian people is not the way to strengthen Israel or the Jewish people.

She always leapt to defend those she represented and those she loved.

Until the end, she took care of her enormous circle of loved ones. She faced her disease just as she embraced life. She showed us how to live each day as fully as possible, love fiercely, persevere whatever the obstacles. She dove into study, pursuing questions of living, dying, and the life of the soul. She wanted to be sure that not only she, but everyone she loved, would be ready for the moment that she’d be gone. She was remarkably brave and strong for over two years, right up until her last day. Jane prepared us for her death. Let us all be blessed by the lessons of her life.

Attribution: This obituary originally appeared in The Jewish News of Northern California on January 8, 2019.

Please note that the Prison University Project became Mount Tamalpais College in September 2020.

Reimagining Justice, Together

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The Prison University Project is excited to partner with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) in its efforts to address systemic issues around criminal justice reform in the United States. As the funding landscape shows increased interest in tackling mass incarceration, Aly Tamboura, former Prison University Project student, current board member, and Manager of Technology and Program Delivery at CZI, has served as an important liaison between funders, programs, and communities most impacted by the criminal justice system. Watch him, and others, discuss CZI’s important work below.

To learn more about CZI’s approach to philanthropy and system change, read David Plouffe’s piece on the Justice & Opportunity initiative.

Please note that the Prison University Project became Mount Tamalpais College in September 2020.