Bard Prison Initiative

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Bard Prison Initiative

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 alu

mni 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.

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.

05/30/2026

Along with BPI's first master's degree graduates, we are celebrating commencement firsts across the Consortium for the Liberal Arts in Prison! Swipe through to see some of our partners' achievements.
Congratulations to all of the Consortium graduates! We'll be sharing more as commencement season continues.

The BPI Consortium for the Liberal Arts in Prison is a community of practice that offers strategic support, technical assistance, and critical quidance to colleges and universities as thev develop and sustain their own ambitious college programs. The programs that make up the Consortium represent 20 colleges and universities, including Bard, and stretch across 13 states. Partners in the Consortium develop high-quality college-in-prison programs that have the same rigor and high standards expected of main campuses. Together, these leading institutions set the bar for excellence and have become the example for the field of what building programs with integrity and serious commitment looks like, all the while supporting students who are redefining the boundaries of success for people in and returning home from prison.

05/27/2026

To kick off commencement events, hosts the Baccalaureate Service ceremony and Senior Dinner, and, this year, it featured BPI alumnus Elías Beltrán '17 as a speaker. During his speech, Elías reminded graduating seniors that "no one else's imagination of us needs to be the portrait of us."

Elías is a BPI Visiting Assistant Professor and the first BPI alumnus to return to teach for Bard in prison. He is a PhD candidate at Cornell University.

05/24/2026

Congratulations to all of today's graduates from BPI, the Bard Microcolleges, and the BardBac! We were proud to celebrate each degree earned, including the first Master of Arts in Public Humanities degrees.

Thank you to all of the friends, family, alumni, faculty, and staff who made today so memorable!

Many more photos to come!

Cheers, class of 2026! 🎓🎉

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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