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Monterey Peninsula College

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Monterey Peninsula College
Other name
Colegio de la Península de Monterey
TypePublic community college
Established1947
Parent institution
AccreditationAccrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
Endowment$12.6 million (2024)[1]
PresidentMarshall T. Fulbright III
SuperintendentMarshall T. Fulbright III
Location
Campus
  • 97 acres (39 ha) (Main campus)
Colors   Maroon and white
NicknameLobos
Sporting affiliations
CCCAA – Coast Conference
Mascot"Louis the Lobo" (Wolf)
Websitewww.mpc.edu
Map
2025-2026 Adopted Budget, Monterey Peninsula Community College District El Yanqui, 10-15-1948, p.n1 School colors

Monterey Peninsula College (MPC) (Spanish: Colegio de la Península de Monterey) is a public community college in Monterey, California. Established in 1947, it was the first civilian postsecondary educational institution in the area surrounding the Monterey Peninsula. Until 1961 it was under the jurisdiction of the Monterey Union High School District. Today, it falls within the jurisdiction of the Monterey Peninsula Community College District and the California Community Colleges (CCC) system. Since 1961, the President of MPC serves in a dual capacity as the Superintendent of the MPCCD, with authority over MPC's satellite campuses. The main campus in Monterey is south of Lake El Estero, off of Fremont Street. Within the old territory of Fort Ord is the MPCCD's Fort Ord Center, a CCC-designated "Educational Center." Within the Fort Ord Center are the Monterey Peninsula College at Marina in Marina, and the Public Safety Training Center in Seaside. MPC's curriculum is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

History

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Glen Goodwill was the first Superintendent of the Union High School District to oversee Monterey Peninsula College.

After World War II, an influx of war veterans returning to the area sought postsecondary education, but the closest institution at the time was Salinas Junior College. For two years after the war, much of Monterey Peninsula's socialite literati were involved, in some way, in the effort to establish a Junior College on the peninsula. The peninsula's business leaders also predicted that a Junior College would create an injection and stimulus to the local economy.[2] Glen T. Goodwill, who at that time served as the Monterey Superintendent of Schools, was one of the loudest proponents.[3]

Early in 1947, the community passed a bond measure which launched the Monterey Junior College within the jurisdiction of the Monterey Union High School District.[2] Glen Goodwill coordinated with Remsen Bird, the former President of Occidental College, to create the first Board of Trustees and hire staff and faculty.[3]

Calvin Flint was the first President of MPC, serving from 1947 to 1958. After his time at MPC, he became the first President of Foothill College and helped build De Anza College.

Calvin Flint, a war veteran and construction company manager, was hired as the first College President of MPC. Formerly, he had been the Dean of Men at Santa Ana Junior College. Flint was hired to build a new curriculum and find a new campus simultaneously.[4]

In mid-August, 1947, Flint was the guest speaker at a meeting of the Monterey Rotary Club. Flint told the Rotarians that it was now inappropriate to use the term "junior college," because most junior colleges had become more advanced and complex than they once were. They were now two-year versions of four-year universities. Flint told the audience,“The overall policy of the new college will be to stress good Americanism and democracy.”[2] On September 5, 1947, when Monterey Peninsula College taught its first classes, it existed as a night college on the campus of Monterey High School.[4] Technically, MPC was categorized as the 13th and 14th grades attached to the high school, whose creation was authorized by the School Board.[5]

Robert Allen Griffin, owner of the The Monterey County Herald, discussed at length with SFB Morse about acquiring the land for the school.

Over the course of 1947, Margaret Bates worked with Robert Allen Griffin, owner of the Monterey Peninsula Herald, to convince Samuel Finley Brown Morse to sell his property.[5] Flint and MPC then arranged with Morse that the purchase would be 97 acres of land off of Fremont Street in Monterey.[4]

Aerial photograph of Monterey Peninsula College under construction in 1948

On September 10, 1948, the first classes were taught in "converted barracks" on the newly purchased land. There were 280 students in the inaugural class of freshmen and sophomores. They were taught by 20 faculty members.[6] Construction on the first permanent buildings began soon after.[4] The lead architect brought in to work on the new campus was Robert Stanton.[7]

There were 34 students in the first graduating class of 1949.[8]

In 1954, Flint hired Morgan Stock, an actor professionally trained at the Pasadena Playhouse,[9] to teach drama and english. Stock worked to establish MPC's theatre program, overseeing the development of a physical theatre building.[10]

Flint resigned as President of MPC in 1958 to establish the new curriculum as the first President of Foothill College.[4] While it was an amicable exit, he did take with him a large number of trusted instructors and deans from MPC to help him build that college. Locals in Monterey called this event the "Flint Exodus."[2]

The second President of MPC, Fredrick R. Huber, refilled the positions left vacant during the Flint Exodus.[2]

The engineering building was constructed in 1958.[6] The architectural firm Wallace Holm & Associates was brought in during 1958 to work on the original library building,[11] which was completed in 1960.[12]

In 1961, MPC was recognized under the jurisdiction of its own Junior College District, breaking away from the Monterey Union High School District.[13] After this, all future Presidents of MPC became known as President/Superintendent.

On March 24, 1961, Martin Luther King Jr. spent the day at Monterey Peninsula College.

On March 24, 1961, Martin Luther King Jr. spent the day on the MPC campus. All classes were cancelled so the students could attend his lecture entitled Moral and Spiritual Factors of Integration.[14] At lunch, he ate with Margaret Bates and her husband Talcott Bates.[15] During the day, King met with students and faculty. At dinner, he ate with the college faculty.[15] In the afternoon, he gave a press conference in the Student Union building. At 8pm, he gave a lecture to 900 people at the MPC Armory entitled The Power of Non-Violence.[14] Late in the evening, King met with community leaders in Seaside and gave a short address at the Friendship Baptist Church there.[15]

In 1962, the Art and Music Center and the campus swimming pool were built.[6]

In 1967, the football stadium at MPC became an official overflow campground for the Monterey International Pop Festival, with 20,000 people camping out on the field.[16][17] The Grateful Dead, out of protest over the filming rights at the main venue, set up a free concert soundstage at the MPC football field so they wouldn't need to appear on camera.[18] During the weekend, other performers played on the impromptu stage, like Jimi Hendrix, Jorma Kaukonen and John Cipollina. After the event, Rock Scully and Danny Rifkin stole the amps from the mainstage and used them for about a month on San Francisco before giving them back.[19]

A new library was built in 1968.[citation needed] In 1974, MPC created the GENTRAIN (General Education Train of Courses) Program, which offered interdisciplinary approaches to history and culture. Retired residents from the local area were the majority to sign up for Gentrain courses.[2]

The Maurine Church Coburn School of Nursing was established in 1982.

In 1982, the Maurine Church Coburn Charitable Trust provided a grant to MPC to establish the Maurine Church Coburn School of Nursing, and it operated partially with funds donated by the Community Hospital Foundation. In August 1988, the Community Hospital Foundation donated more funds to remodel the old engineering building to become the new School of Nursing. The second floor of the School of Nursing was completed in 1999.[12]

In 1994, MPC signed a partnership agreement with the Defense Language Institute (DLI) to offer Associate in Arts degrees that would be jointly conferred by DLI and MPC.[20]

Sometime around 2013, the California Department of Education and the State of California government stopped compensating colleges for repeat non-credit classes. A portion of the students at MPC at the time, and since its establishment, were known as "lifelong learners," who only enrolled in athletics or arts courses. Because those students could not take any more than one course, the lifelong learning program was effectively eliminated.[2]

Between 2009 and 2016, enrollment at MPC dropped from 8,500 to 6,261. This accounted for a total loss of between $2.5million and $5million in income for MPC.[2] In 2016, MPC received $400,000 from California's Strong Workforce Program. In 2017, President Tribley stated that enrollment was at 6,701, and that MPC was fiscally solvent.[2]

In November 2020, the electorate of the Monterey Peninsula Community College District service areas approved Bond Measure V.[21] This measure awarded MPCCD and MPC $230million dollars to distribute across all three of its campuses. The vote was 62.62% for, and 37.38% against. MPC stated that the money would be used: "...to fund repairs to classrooms, facilities, roofs, plumbing, and electrical systems, removal of hazardous materials, and improvements to technology and equipment..." Bond Measure V also stipulated that an additional property tax levy would be emplaced in the service area.[22]

Academics

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As of the 2022–23 school year, MPC offers 55 different associate degrees in fields such as health, business, and STEM with an additional 32 degrees designed for transferring to a University for a bachelor's degree in the same field. California State University currently has an arrangement with MPC to guarantee acceptance for 14 of their transfer degrees.[23] They also offer numerous certificates as well.[24]

Athletics

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Luke Phillips, Chris Pappas, and Tor Spindler have been called "sporting legends," who maintained positive win-loss streaks throughout their careers.[25]

Monterey Peninsula College competes in the Coast Conference as a Junior College. In 1947, several college mascots were considered by the MPC Student Council, including the Paisanos, in honor of the early inhabitants of the area, or the Amigos (English: friends). They selected to become the Lobos, which is derived from lobo, the Spanish word for a wolf. The figurehead mascot for the Lobos became Louie the Lobo. In 1949, there was a debate to become Lobos Marinos, or Sea Wolves, but they decided to remain Lobos. In 1958, a female figurehead mascot named Louise the Lobo was introduced.[26]

Coach Luke Phillips first arrived at MPC as a student in 1948 to co-captain MPC's first football team. He left the college soon after to become one of "Pappy's Boys," playing for Pappy Waldorf in the 1949 and 1950 seasons at California Golden Bears football. Phillips returned to MPC in 1957 as a coach.[25]

Coach Warren "Tor" Spindler, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, arrived at MPC in 1958. In addition to coaching, he was a professor who taught courses in the Administration of Justice.[27]

In 1961, Coach Phillips brought Lobos Football to the First Annual Lettuce Bowl, where they won the trophy.[28]

Coach Chris Pappas had worked with Phillips as an Assistant Coach in the early 1950s at San Jose State Spartans football, alongside Bill Walsh and Dick Vermeil. Pappas arrived at MPC in 1963. He coached football and baseball, and was also the Lobos Athletic Director for 28 years. Pappas created the MPC Adaptive Physical Education program, where he coached students with physical disabilities.[25]

Pappas-Phillips Community Stadium

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Pappas-Phillips Community Stadium away team bleachers.

In late 2020, the MPC Board of Trustees unanimously voted to dedicate the MPC Stadium as the Pappas-Phillips Community Stadium.[25] On September 3, 2022, during the Saturday halftime ceremonies at the home game against Yuba College, the MPC Stadium was officially dedicated as the Pappas-Phillips Community Stadium, in memorial honor of Coaches Luke Phillips and Chris Pappas.[25]

Satellite campuses

[edit]

Monterey Peninsula College at Marina

[edit]
Monterey Peninsula College at Marina (MPC Marina), formerly known as the Marina Education Center (MEC).

From 1971 to 1993, MPC operated the Fort Ord Education Center on Fort Ord. Under the authority of the United States Army, they taught college courses to military personnel and their families on base.[6] When Fort Ord was being decommissioned, MPC was allowed to keep its education center, transforming it into the Marina Education Center (MEC). MEC continued to offer programs for students from the nearby towns of Marina, Sand City, and Seaside, focusing on what they called "basic skills courses."[12]

By 2016, MEC held 8 classrooms and a computer classroom and lab. The MPC English Studies Skills Center had a satellite office at MEC. Each of the main classroom buildings were arranged around a main quad, with newer portable buildings installed to the north. They taught courses in math, english as a second language, and other basic skills courses. MEC students in 2016 found it difficult to transfer to four-year institutions, or finishing transfer programs, and MPC instituted several steps to correct this in an Institutional Action Plan, which outlined an expanded scope of the MEC program. They coordinated with Marina High School to consider Running Start programs, and to develop programs that would better serve the Marina community.[12]

Sunset view of the main quad at MPC Marina from a solar charging station.

Sometime later, the Marina Education Center was re-structured to become the Monterey Peninsula College at Marina, or simply MPC Marina, with MPC desiring to expand that campus with more a robust program.[29] The California Community Colleges Board of Governors later voted to officially designate the Fort Ord Center area as an "Educational Center." Fort Ord Center includes both of the campuses of MPC Marina and the Public Safety Training School. Educational center designation authorizes students within the Fort Ord Center to be conferred with degrees without needing to appear at the main campus.[29]

When Bond Measure V was approved in November 2020, MPC allocated $100million of the total money to MPC Marina for a campus expansion.[29] Delgado said that: “This $100 million includes ground-up construction of state-of-the-art science and chemistry facilities for nursing and other health professions, kitchens for hospitality students, and classrooms for public safety classes.”[29]

In May 2025, MPCCD hired the architectural design firm Flint+JKAE to design the new expanded campus. Two design concepts were created for review; the first design concept was called The Hub, the second was called The Central Green.[29] The Hub would be a single-building design, and The Central Green would be two-buildings. MPCCD also hired M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates, Inc. to support the 2026 Integrated Facilities Plan.[29]

Seaside Public Safety Training Center

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Seaside Public Safety Training Center.

After the Cold War ended and Fort Ord was closed, MPC was granted additional property to develop.[6] In 1993, MPC negotiated with the Ford Ord decommissioning authority to establish a training academy, near the site where the Presedio Police Station sat. The Seaside Public Safety Training Center (SPSTC) manages specialized training programs for public safety and security professionals. This campus hosts an introductory police academy, a fire academy, ambulance training, and emergency medical technician (EMT) training.[12]

The fire academy is accredited as an "Accredited Regional Training Program" by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the California State Fire Marshal.[30]

The police academy is accredited by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST)[31], and serves as part of the larger consortium of seven different community colleges that comprise the South Bay Regional Public Safety Training Academy, known as "The Academy."[32]

Notable people

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Athletes

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Other

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  • Jimmy Panetta (also known as James Varni Panetta), politician
  • Joseph Gutheinz, attorney, college instructor, commissioner, writer, and former U.S. Army intelligence officer and aviator, and Federal law enforcement officer
  • Gaylen Ross, director, writer, producer, and actress

Controversies

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In 1997, a group of athletes from MPC got into a brawl in the middle of the street with members of the Seaside Police Department.[33]

In 1998, the campus was embroiled in a scandal involving a campus counselor pleading no-contest in court to the charge of threatening a student after she rebuffed his advances.[34] This scandal brought attention to the fact that there was no law prohibiting relationships between students and teachers, and that the college did not previously have a policy prohibiting it.[35]

In 2015, MPC spent approximately $200,000 to hire the Sacramento-based consulting firm Collaborative Brain Trust for an assessment. The Trust recommended replacing antiquated software and hiring more administrators. Many of the faculty rejected the second proposal, stating that replacing experienced professors with low-level employees would hurt the college. The report also stated that: "The college is very chaotic and crisis-driven."[2]

From October 10 to October 13, 2016, an External Evaluation Team of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) visited MPC for its regular accreditation evaluation.[12] The team submitted a 78-page report to ACCJC, detailing 22 recommendations for improvement at MPC, and noted that MPC was not in compliance with 15 minimum standards. In February 2017, ACCJC issued a mandatory two-year probationary period to MPC. Richard Winn, interim President of the ACCJC, sent a letter to President Tribley that the college had until March 15, 2018, to comply with each standard listed in the report. In the meantime, MPC was still authorized to issue degrees accredited by ACCJC.[36]

In May 2017, the faculty union called for a labor strike to demand higher pay. MPC was ranked 61st out of 72 districts in the state for faculty salary, and they had been operating for five years without a negotiated salary contract for instructors. One professor who retired that year said that morale on campus was "...the worst in 46 years." At the Board of Trustees meeting on May 31, they were scheduled to discuss extending President Tribley's contract. Members of the Monterey Peninsula College Teacher's Association (MPCTA) filled the open meeting space, holding signs that read "Negotiate Don't Dictate." There were so many protesting teachers in the meeting that there was not enough standing room, and they spilled into the hallway. Some of the teachers alleged that the Board of Trustees had manipulated the truth in 2012, when teachers voluntarily sacrificed a 2% pay raise because they were told the campus was in a $2million deficit. The Board voted to return to discussions, and tensions later simmered. By September 2017, the employment contract still hadn't been negotiated, and a dozen teachers picketed outside the school in the morning before classes started.[2]

MPC was removed from the probationary period in 2018, and was reaffirmed for accreditation.[37]

References

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  1. ↑ As of June 30, 2024. "U.S. and Canadian 2024 NCSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2024 Endowment Market Value, Change in Market Value from FY23 to FY24, and FY24 Endowment Market Values Per Full-time Equivalent Student" (XLSX). National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO). February 12, 2025. Archived from the original on February 12, 2025. Retrieved February 12, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Marino, Pam (September 7, 2017). "Monterey Peninsula College reckons with internal challenges while external forces reshape community colleges". Monterey County NOW. Retrieved July 15, 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Archives & Special Collections - Monterey Peninsula College". www.mpc.edu. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dr. Calvin C. Flint · FHDA Archives Main Site · FHDA Historic Archives". distarch.fhda.edu. Archived from the original on July 29, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Margaret Bates Obituary - Carmel, CA". Monterey Herald. September 16, 2010. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Monterey Peninsula College celebrates 75 years with festival" (PDF). Carmel Pine Cone. Vol. 108, No. 36. September 9, 2022. pp. 25A.
  7. ↑ "Obituary for Robert Stanton". The San Francisco Examiner. September 3, 1983. p. 14. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  8. ↑ Panetta, Jimmy (September 13, 2022). "CELEBRATING MONTEREY PENINSULA COLLEGE". www.govinfo.gov. Congressional Record, Volume 168 Issue 147. Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office. United States Congress. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  9. ↑ Cabrera, Marcos (August 29, 2012). "Morgan Stock, founder of Monterey Peninsula College drama program, dies at 93". Monterey Herald. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  10. ↑ Ryce, Walter (June 12, 2008). "A grandfather of local theater looks back with a self-published book". Monterey County NOW. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  11. ↑ "MONTEREY PENINSULA COLLEGE ADDITION BEING READIED". Architect and Engineer. San Francisco Public Library. San Francisco: Architect and Engineer, Inc. 1905. p. 48.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thomason, Scotty; Scott, Todd. "EXTERNAL EVALUATION REPORT, Monterey Peninsula College" (PDF). External Evaluation Team, Accreditation Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
  13. ↑ Gibbs, Molly (August 2, 2022). "Monterey Peninsula College to celebrate 75th anniversary". Monterey Herald. Retrieved July 15, 2026.
  14. 1 2 Thomas, Elisabeth. "Research Guides: Highlights from MPC's Archives & Special Collections: MLK at MPC". libguides.mpc.edu. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 "The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. Volume VII | The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute". kinginstitute.stanford.edu. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Looking Back: Football field camping for Monterey Pop Festival, 1967". Monterey Herald. September 7, 2025. Retrieved July 15, 2026.
  17. ↑ Lydon, Michael (1967). "Monterey Pops! An International Pop Festival". TeachRock. Retrieved July 15, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Monterey Pop Festival Inaugurates the Summer of Love | Music | Research Starters | EBSCO Research". EBSCO. Retrieved July 15, 2026.
  19. ↑ Peerless, Beth (June 7, 2017). "Monterey Pop was a summit for two emerging kinds of new California music". Monterey Herald. Retrieved July 15, 2026.
  20. ↑ "MPC, DLI partnership offers students AA degree" (PDF). Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center. Vol. 17, No. 2. Presidio of Monterey: THE GLOBE. March 15, 1994. pp. 3–4.
  21. ↑ "Ballot Measure V" (PDF). montereycountyelections.us. 2020.
  22. ↑ "Monterey Peninsula Community College District, California, Measure V, Bond Issue (November 2020)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  23. ↑ "About MPC". Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Academic Programs & Divisions". Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 Leader, Lewis Abraham (September 1, 2022). "Monterey Peninsula College to hold dedication ceremony for Pappas-Phillips Community Stadium". Monterey Herald. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  26. ↑ Thomas, Elisabeth. "Research Guides: Highlights from MPC's Archives & Special Collections: History of MPC's Mascot". libguides.mpc.edu. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  27. ↑ Pennisi-Nozicka, Elizabeth (December 6, 2017). "Campus Plaques Mark MPC Leaders of the Past". El Yanqui (MPC Student Newspaper).
  28. ↑ Thomas, Elisabeth. "Research Guides: Highlights from MPC's Archives & Special Collections: Homecoming". libguides.mpc.edu. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Herrera, James (February 17, 2026). "Monterey Peninsula College's Marina campus to expand". Monterey Herald. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Accredited Academies: Find an ARTP". CalFire. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Accreditation - Monterey Peninsula College". www.mpc.edu. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  32. ↑ "About Us". The Academy. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
  33. ↑ McWhirter, Jill Duman, Douglas (October 2, 1997). "Questions raised about MPC athletes living in Seaside". Monterey County NOW. Retrieved July 15, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  34. ↑ Duman, Jill (January 1, 1998). "More allegations haunt embattled MPC counselor". Monterey County NOW. Retrieved July 15, 2026.
  35. ↑ Pitnick, Richard (May 7, 1998). "California community colleges have no policies regarding faculty/student dating". Monterey County NOW. Retrieved July 15, 2026.
  36. ↑ Marino, Pam (February 8, 2017). "Monterey Peninsula College accreditation on the line with two-year probation". Monterey County NOW. Retrieved July 15, 2026.
  37. ↑ Marino, Pam (June 22, 2018). "MPC no longer on probation, accreditation commission announces". Monterey County NOW. Retrieved July 16, 2026.
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