Mount Tamalpais College: Then & Now
Next year marks the 30th anniversary of the college program at San Quentin. As 2025 comes to a close, we are looking back at Mount Tamalpais College’s history. This Then & Now series explores the College’s early days, while reflecting on what higher education looks like today inside San Quentin. We invite you to read, reflect, and support the MTC student community.
Part I: A Witness to History
Alumnus Raphael Calix (Class of 2008), who spent more than 20 years inside, reflects on how Mount Tamalpais College helped to reshape his life—and shift the social and cultural landscape of San Quentin.
Part II: A 21st Century Classroom
Four Mount Tamalpais College students reflect on what higher education looks like at San Quentin today—and how MTC's 30-year commitment to providing quality academic resources, programs, and technology has transformed the learning experience.
A Letter from the President
In her newest Letter from the President, Dr. Jody Lewen reflects on Mount Tamalpais College’s earliest days inside San Quentin—honoring the students, faculty, and supporters whose leadership made the College possible from the very beginning.
For nearly 30 years, MTC students have helped transform the culture of San Quentin from within—proving that education is not only a path to purpose, but a force for reshaping institutions.
Please consider a gift to support new generations of students as they bring meaningful change to San Quentin and to their communities.
