Mount Tamalpais College staff members Corey McNeil, Alumni Affairs Associate, Dr. Windy Franklin-Martinez, Director of Student Services and Academic Advising, and Jennifer Juras, Chief of Institutional Effectiveness and Research, spoke about their work with incarcerated students at San Quentin during the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior College (ACCJC) conference in Los Angeles. They were joined by Ardis Eschenberg, Chancellor of Windward Community College, David Williams (VP of Academic Affairs), and Shanan Danley from Solano Community College’s SOAR Program.
Their presentation began with Mount Tamalpais College’s (MTC) history as an extension site of Patten University (from 1996 to 2020), which became independently accredited by ACCJC in January 2022. Many factors set MTC apart from other colleges in the room, including the fact that MTC’s faculty are volunteers, and attendance, including tuition and school supplies, is free. The presentation emphasized how student services underpin successful, intellectually rigorous, and inclusive colleges. MTC’s student services division shares commonalities with traditional colleges but has unique aspects due to its setting and student population. The subjects discussed included:
- Services We Provide: Advising and Student Services, Learning and Development, and Alumni Affairs
- Student Services: How does this look different in a prison setting?
- Alumni Services: How does this look different in a prison setting?
Jennifer Juras highlighted the support MTC has within the ACCJC community and the positive reception of their presentation, noting the interest in programs in prisons among colleges. Jennifer said, “It was also apparent that there’s interest in running programs in prisons among junior and community colleges. We received many questions about how to get started.”
Dr. Windy spoke about the comprehensive student services MTC offers, including learning support services and the role of the Learning Disabilities (LD) Specialist in training and supporting faculty. The information about those services included evaluation for learning disabilities, academic accommodations, strategizing with students and faculty to improve learning outcomes, and supporting faculty with universal design and curriculum differentiation.
She emphasized the shared challenges among colleges serving incarcerated students. Corey McNeil discussed building MTC’s alumni network and supporting alumni pre-and post-release. He highlighted the importance of maintaining this network, stating, “This is important because a dialogue has taken place that helps to inform and serve current and former students as well as MTC in how it can better support the students as a whole.”
“What stuck out to me,” Corey said, “is how people from various walks of life and cultures and from around the world came together to share and learn from each other the best practices that help students fulfill their educational goals.”
For the question and answering segment of the presentation, Corey said he realized that “the questions that were being asked were indicative of the same issues that MTC has faced and most HEPs encounter, which further solidified my thoughts on how important it is for events like this to happen.”
He noted the diversity among conference attendees and the importance of events like this for sharing best practices. Corey exchanged contact information with personnel from Los Angeles City College and Solano Community College to discuss future collaborations. “My colleagues were exceptional with their part of the presentation,” Corey said. “They spoke with professionalism and knowledge that exhibited their passion for this work. I feed off their enthusiasm and energy.”
Thank you to the ACCJC for having us!
