An emotional & celebratory moment: Through BPI, Allen earned an AA degree from Bard College while incarcerated. He was released & his conviction was overturned in early 2026, & walked during the college's commencement ceremony on Bard's main campus. www.instagram.com/reel/DZD3x0H...

Thank you, Amy Kapczynski, for mentioning BPI and the Bard Microcolleges in your blog on @knightcolumbia.org about "The People's College," a proposal that seeks to "[imagine] and [build] stronger institutions and collectives" across higher ed.

"Youth Incarceration is a Public Health Crisis" is a new opinion piece co-authored by BPI alumni Reggie Chatman '21 and José Perez '13 for The Imprint (@imprintnews). Read the full piece at imprintnews.org/opinion/yout...

Opinion: Youth Incarceration is a Public Health Crisis | The Imprint

Instead of receiving care, incarcerated youth are exposed to violence, isolation, chronic stress and medical neglect, write José Perez and Reggie Chatman.

imprintnews.org

BPI is tripling your gift! Today, on BPI's 5th Annual Day of Giving, your gift, is being matched twice: first by our generous community partners at the Dermot Company, then again through Bard's endowment matching challenge grant, tripling your gift. bpi.bard.edu/giving

Today, the New York Times published this exceptional opinion piece by Robert Lee Williams. Incarcerated at Eastern NY Correctional Facility, Robert — in addition to his work as an essayist — is a full-time Bard student enrolled through BPI.

Opinion | In Prison, Trees Are a Symbol of Freedom (Gift Article)

These trees were the only living beings that I could touch without fear.

nytimes.com

Opinion: NYC Needs a Mayor Who is Serious About Safety Read the latest op-ed from BPI alum and Co-Director of Freedom Agenda, Darren Mack '13 (@iamdarrenmack.bsky.social), and former Speaker of the NYC Council, Melissa Mark-Viverito. @citylimitsnews.bsky.social citylimits.org/opinion-nyc-...

Opinion: NYC Needs a Mayor Who is Serious About Safety - City Limits

"We need a mayor who knows that in a city committed to seeing all of us thrive, there is no place for Rikers Island."

citylimits.org

Virtual Event: BPI alum and Project Lead for Upstate Reentry and Capital Region Initiatives, Shawn Young '19, will be speaking in a webinar this Thursday, 6/26, along with our partners at @incarcernation.com. Register at zoom.us/j/95428845855

Wishing you a powerful and meaningful Juneteenth. Join us today in reflecting on freedom, education, and what is possible when we reimagine who is deserving of access and opportunity in America.

Virtual Event: On 5/12 at 12, join BPI founder and Executive Director, Max Kenner, for a discussion on the state of play in New York’s prisons after the labor stoppages, the field of college-in-prison in NY, and goals for BPI in this new context. Register at: bard.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

M. Gessen makes the essential case here for colleges and universities to meet the Trumpist attack by recommitting to their core mission of education rather than attempting to safeguard their prestige & pocketbooks—and cites, for example, Bard & @bpi-bard.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/o...

Opinion | This Is How Universities Can Escape Trump’s Trap, if They Dare

It’s been tried in other countries facing authoritarian crackdowns. It works.

nytimes.com

This weekend BPI was at Morehouse College where alumnus and faculty member Elías Beltrán '17 met with the HEP faculty steering committee, guest lectured in several classes on campus, and

Venture toward a college education and apply now to the Bard Microcolleges in NYC, full-tuition-scholarship associate degree programs in Brooklyn and Harlem. All you need to apply is a high school diploma or its equivalent. Sign up for a writing session and apply today at microcollege.bard.edu

As you likely are aware by now, state prisons in New York have fallen into crisis over the past week. Last Monday, in an action uncoordinated with the union, officers at two upstate prisons walked off the job.

It's time for Illinois to end the ban on access to financial aid (MAP grants) for incarcerated students. Read the latest coverage of the efforts to restore MAP access, with quotes from BPI's Director of National Engagement, in the link below. #BackOnTheMapIL

Illinois weighs opening state financial aid to students in prison

Research shows higher education is effective at preventing people from re-offending. Legislation could give more people inside access to college classes.

wbez.org

Thank you, Senator @robertpeters.bsky.social, for sharing your support in getting Illinois #BackOnTheMAP! bpi.bard.edu/news-stories...

College MAP grants for Illinois are a 'sound investment in public safety' - Bard Prison Initiative

State Sen. Robert Peters wants to restore the grants for incarcerated people. The Illinois Senate is considering legislation to restore the Monetary Award Program funding, or MAP grants, for incarcera...

bpi.bard.edu

At BPI, our charge is to find a different way forward. Ensuring that college-in-prison is as ambitious as the students it serves and creating new, unique pathways to college for every kind of student in every pocket of society is what we do — and do, unlike any other institution in America.

Help restore MAP funding to incarcerated students in IL by making a few phone calls before the new year, telling Illinois lawmakers to bring HB3740 to a vote! Here’s the info and scripts: bpi.bard.edu/beyond/advoc... #BACKONTHEMAPIL

The time is now to pass HB3740!

bpi.bard.edu

The BPI Emerging Scholars Research Group presented preliminary findings at the 2024 Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Research Conference in November. The paper, “The Effects of College-in-Prison on Social and Civic Engagement,” offered positive results 1/2

On #GivingTuesday, we're giving our gratitude and appreciation to the alumni, students, faculty, and every person who has been a part of BPI over the last 25 years. Join us by continuing to support BPI's work of reimagining the place of higher education, beyond 25. Donate now at bpi.bard.edu/giving

The Higher Education Program in the Andrew Young Center at Morehouse College and the Bard Prison Initiative are pleased to announce the establishment of a Faculty Fellowship to support the development of Morehouse degree opportunities in prison. morehouse.peopleadmin.com/postings/11354

In celebration of its 25th year, BPI invites applications from distinguished scholars for four endowed faculty positions, which are part of BPI’s unprecedented work to build a full-time core faculty for college-in-prison and the Bard Microcolleges. #BardPrisonInitiative #CollegeInPrison

Endowed Faculty Chairs: Call for Applications - Bard Prison Initiative

In celebration of its 25th year, BPI invites applications from distinguished scholars for four endowed faculty positions. The endowed chairs are part of BPI’s unprecedented work to build a full-time c...

bpi.bard.edu

"The Clean Slate Act would help heal generations of those affected by racial injustice." BPI alumnus La-Meik Taylor '23 spoke with CBS Albany about the Clean Slate Act going into effect.