On February 25th BPI joined with College and Community Fellowship and colleagues in the field of college-in-prison to discuss with legislators and staffers the importance of restoring eligibility for NY's Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) to incarcerated students in New York State. Click here to… Read More
WBAI’s On the Count – The Prison And Criminal Justice Report
In this episode, listen to an in-depth conversation with Max Kenner '01, alumnus Dyjuan Tatro '18, and Vivian Nixon, Executive Director of College & Community Fellowship who discuss the impact of federal Pell Grant restoration; the history and future of college-in-prison and why it… Read More
Alumni Resources: NYC Primary Registration and Voting Rights Information
Learn how to register to vote in New York City here. You can register to vote online, in-person, or by mail. Unsure if you are eligible to register? Learn the facts from the myths and check your eligibility: In New York, the general rule is that you can… Read More
Alumni Opinion: The education prisoners deserve
BPI Alumna Stacy Burnett ’20 describes the value her BPI college education has had on her life and her career, and why it's important that New York State reinstate tuition assistance for incarcerated students in this op-ed that was first published in the New… Read More
Turn On The TAP
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 27, 2021 CONTACT Tim Ward tward@collegeandcommunity.org 304-654-6397 ADVOCATES CALL ON NEW YORK STATE TO RESTORE TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR INCARCERATED STUDENTS AFTER PELL VICTORY IN CONGRESS ALBANY, N.Y. - Following the Federal Government’s reinstatement of Pell Grant access to incarcerated people, New York’s Turn on the TAP campaign is… Read More
Bard at BPL Thursday Lunch Series: FEBRUARY 2021 SPEAKERS
Thursday 2/11: Hancy Maxis '15 Hancy will speak about his work in public health and hospital administration. Bard Prison Initiative alumnus Hancy Maxis received his B.A. 2015 and worked as a Writing Fellow for Bard at BPL and a Public Health Fellow at BPI before… Read More
This Week and the Work Ahead
Wednesday morning we woke to tears of joy. In Georgia, the senior pastor of Ebenezer Church — the leader of Martin Luther King Jr.’s congregation — had been elected to the United States Senate. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock will bring the moral voice of the… Read More
Celebrating Two Years of the Women’s College Partnership
Dear colleagues, faculty, partners, and friends of WCP, We are elated to announce our two-year anniversary at the Indiana Women’s Prison. We are extraordinarily proud of the ways our students and faculty have adapted to the many challenges presented this past year and their unwavering commitment… Read More
Their Stories Helped Lift a 26-Year Ban on Pell Grants for Prisoners
A college education transformed [formerly incarcerated people's] lives. But some critics fear low-quality programs will rush in. Every time Vivian D. Nixon has publicly testified about the power of a college education to transform the lives of those behind bars, she’s drawn attention to one… Read More
On the win, at last
Dear Friend, Last night the President, at last, signed the omnibus spending and COVID relief bill into law. The insidious provision of the ’94 Crime Bill — that revoked modest student aid from incarcerated people and eviscerated college-in-prison instantly — has been reversed. Since the ‘94… Read More