College Legacy

History and Highlights

On April 6, 2016, College of Marin (COM) celebrated its 90th anniversary — 90 years of transforming lives through education and training! When COM opened its doors in 1926, there were 87 students enrolled. Today, COM serves over 13,000 annually in its credit, noncredit, and community education programs.

We are proud of our 90-year legacy serving Marin County and we plan to celebrate this milestone at upcoming performances and events that exemplify our rich history and commitment to educational excellence. Please join us!

Success Stories

Alumna and Award-Winning Actress Kathleen Quinlan Talks about Her Beginnings at COM

Academy Award nominee Kathleen Quinlan’s long, successful career spanning more than 50 films, even more television appearances and numerous professional accolades, started with many small, poignant roles in high school and on the College of Marin...

From COM to Mars: How an 80s Rocker’s Curiosity Landed Safely on the Red Planet

Adam Steltzner, who headed the mind-blowing engineering feat of landing a one-ton exploratory Rover mission on Mars last year, says it was his own innate curiosity about the shifting constellations that first led him to study astronomy at College...

U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan Talks About the Art of Teaching

On July 17, 2008, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington announced the appointment of Kay Ryan as the 16th U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry. She joins a distinguished roster of poet laureates, including Robert Penn Warren, Richard Wilbur...

COM Names Basketball Court in Honor of Legendary Don Barksdale

College of Marin (COM) is naming their basketball court after Bay Area basketball trailblazer and COM alum, Don Barksdale. In a unanimous decision, the Board of Trustees passed the resolution earlier this month to name the basketball court Don...