Cornell Prison Education Program

New award announced for the Cornell Prison Education Program

Prison education program wins $1.5M to create national research hub | Cornell Chronicle The Cornell Prison Education Program has launched two national initiatives to address the data and research challenges facing programs that provide higher education in prisons.

This week, CPEP students at Cayuga Correctional Facility gathered to celebrate the publication of The Human Side of Us, an anthology featuring writing from students in our Writer’s Workshop across all three prisons we serve.

Originally scheduled for the fall, the long-awaited reading event brought together students, staff, instructors, and volunteers for an afternoon filled with pride, reflection, and excitement as authors shared their work with the CPEP community.

CPEP staff presented at the two-day symposium Labor, Discipline, and the Carceral State, hosted by Cornell University ILR School last weekend.

Executive Director Rob Scott spoke about the post-strike state of the prison system in New York—highlighting a complex moment in which incarceration rates are declining, prisons are closing, and educational programs are expanding, even as staffing shortages are making facilities increasingly difficult to operate.

Deputy Director Keisha Burrow discussed the impact of last year’s strike on CPEP and higher education in prison programs across New York State. Research Associate Tess Pendergrast presented on the barriers to research within departments of corrections.

Pulitzer- and Academy Award–nominated journalist Keri Blakinger visited Auburn Correctional Facility this week to speak with CPEP students about her journey and her work.

Formerly incarcerated for more than two years, Keri returned to Cornell—where she graduated in 2014—as the Zubrow Distinguished Visiting Journalist. She took time from her busy schedule to share her experiences as an investigative journalist covering prison systems across the country, and to engage with students’ thoughtful and insightful questions.

Our own Dr. Tess Pendergrast, CPEP's Research Associate, along with our Executive Director, Rob Scott ran a workshop today at the National Conference on Higher Education in Prison to teach HEP providers how to use the EJT - a free digital tool to assist HEP programs in their operations, research and advocacy.

The CPEP team attending the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison’s National Conference on Higher Education in Prison in Cleveland, Ohio. In our 25th year of delivering college in prison, we are proud to participate in supporting the field. At the conference we held a full-day research symposium, a workshop about our EJT offering, and are participating on the Data-Driven Academic Reentry panel.

Today, higher education in prison researchers gathered at CPEP’s HEP Research Symposium, sponsored by Ascendium, to work through complex challenges facing the field. Through breakout sessions, participants explored key issues and exchanged ideas with peers from across the country.

The symposium offered a rare opportunity for these colleagues to come together in person—collaborating face-to-face in a focused, one-day forum.

Today CPEP has convened more than 120 HEP researchers from across the country to participate in our HEP Research Symposium being held alongside this year’s NCHEP conference. Thank you Dr. Noel Vest , Dr. Erin L. Castro, PhD , and Christina Dawkins for kicking us off with a State of the Field discussion. Also special thanks to Raul Armenta, and Lisette B. Hughes, M.S. Ed. for helping us host this important event.

hashtag hashtag hashtag

💗 💗 💗 Thank you to our generous supporters! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

In just 24 hours, the Cornell Prison Education Program raised $43,690—surpassing our previous Giving Day record.

Every dollar will go directly toward delivering Cornell college programming for incarcerated students.

Your support makes real things possible:
• stronger writing and critical thinking skills
• courses in economics, society, and the law
• access to Cornell’s extraordinary library resources
• the opportunity for students to return to society with a Cornell degree!!!

At the heart of our work is a simple belief: people are more than the worst thing they have ever done.

Thank you for standing with us—and for helping make our upcoming Cornell bachelor’s program in prison a reality.