Bard Prison Initiative

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Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Bard Prison Initiative

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The Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) works to redefine the availability, affordability, and expectations

Since 2001, BPI has created groundbreaking opportunities for college within America’s prison systems. These programs transform the negative impacts of criminal punishment and create radical inroads of access and opportunity to higher learning. Today, BPI enrolls over 300 incarcerated students full-time in programs that culminate in degrees from Bard College; it offers extensive support for its alumni in and around New York City; and, it has developed a nationwide network of leading universities and colleges to catalyze a transformation in the relationship between education and criminal justice in the United States. BPI’s newest initiative, the Bard Microcollege, expands yet further the scope and impact of this work, delivering high-quality liberal arts education to isolated communities outside of prison through partnerships with community-based institutions.

10/13/2026

Congratulations, Jamal Armstead '23, on winning the 2026 Beth Rickey Award!

Radio Kingston

10/02/2026

Join BPI’s Executive Director, Max Kenner, in conversation with BPI alumnus Darren Mack '13, co-founder and co-director at the Freedom Agenda (Freedom Agenda), where he leads the campaign to , a movement he's been involved with since its launch in 2016.

Hear the latest on this critical work, learn what is at stake, and consider what closing Rikers could mean for New York, and for the broader movement toward decarceration.

Darren and Max will be joined by BPI alumni Alex Duran '18, Program Director at Galaxy Gives, and Wesley Caines '09, Deputy Executive Director at the Bronx Defenders, for a timely conversation in a moment of historic opportunity to finally close Rikers.

Please register to attend https://bard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_x-4g4fHLSH25puCng3Wd_Q #/registration

09/23/2026

BPI welcomes Adelle Waldman as the 2026-2027 The Paris Review Visiting Professor.

The Paris Review Visiting Professorship at BPI launched in 2024, establishing a position for a creative writer to teach the literature that has inspired them to BPI students. This semester, Waldman's course at Eastern Correctional Facility focuses on Jane Austen.

07/21/2026

We are on to week two of the 2026 BPI Summer Residency! So far, residents have connected through 12 workshops and thoughtful conversations around academics, faculty, research support, and life as alumni. This week, we'll discuss cultivating college community, the Bard College Senior Project, communications, and more, diving into strategy, practice, and creating possibilities.

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07/11/2026

The 2026 BPI Summer Residency Cohort arrives on the campus tomorrow! It's going to be a great two weeks with all of you!

07/08/2026

Summer is here and that means it's time for the BPI Summer Residency! Next week, BPI will welcome the 8th cohort of residents to Bard's campus in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, for two weeks of immersive workshops led by BPI staff, alumni, and subject matter experts across the academic, reentry and alumni affairs, national engagement and advocacy, development, and senior leadership teams.

Stay tuned for more on this year's cohort!

The expectation is not that other institutions will adopt a "BPI model" but rather, that they will apply what they learn in the Residency to home institutional contexts in ways that make sense to them.

Annual cohorts represent a broad spectrum of emerging leaders in the field of college-in-prison coming from a wide range of institutions. Each year's Residency cohort is drawn largely from those who have engaged BPI in technical assistance over the prior year.

Over the course of two weeks, the Residency workshops allow cohorts under the hood to explore more technical mechanics and strategies alongside BPI's philosophical approaches to the work of building robust, ambitious, and successful college-in-prison and reentry programs in different locations and institutional contexts.

06/30/2026

At BPI, we are doubling down on the kind of education that counts: classroom-based, in-person learning that demands the most of students. Liberal study that replicates the course and quality of study at any college campus in America.

And, your support helps make this work possible. Until midnight tonight, your support counts x2! Give now and your donation will be matched 1:1!

bpi.bard.edu/giving

06/26/2026

Supporting BPI goes beyond the classroom. It means support for students and alumni to complete degrees, discover sustainable careers, strengthen their civic engagement, and so much more.

And, through June 30, your support counts x2 as all donations are being matched! Give now at bpi.bard.edu/giving

06/23/2026

Last week, BPI alumni Isaiah Smith '26, Reggie Chatman '21, and Jose Perez '13 joined a panel with Youth JusticeNY, "From Harm to Healing: Rethinking Youth Incarceration Through a Public Health Lens." They spoke about the harms of incarceration for young people and Isaiah spoke about the value of BPI in his professional trajectory.

06/01/2026

A commencement moment we won't soon forget. Thank you, fellow graduates and Bard College community, for giving Allen such a warm welcome, home and to campus.

Address

Bard College, PO Box 5000
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
12504

Telephone

+18457587308

Website

http://bpi.bard.edu/, http://bpi.bard.edu/giving

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