Rockwood Leadership Institute, in partnership with Ascendium, is excited to announce that applications for the third cohort of the Fellowship for Leaders in Higher Education in Prison are now open! Full tuition and accommodations will be covered by Rockwood and fellows will receive a $5,000 stipend for completing the fellowship, along with up to $5,000 in training-related expense reimbursements (airfare, childcare, etc.).

Apply for the 2026 Fellowship for Leaders in Higher Education in Prison now! Read more about how to apply and what to expect in the application.

The Fellowship, designed by Rockwood staff, trainers, and system-impacted consultants, is designed to strengthen and cohere a core group of formerly incarcerated leaders working in the HEP sector. For all the details, including the Fellowship programming and timeline, purpose, goals, and more, see our Applicant Program Information & FAQ.

Who can apply? 

This Fellowship is for formerly incarcerated leaders working in the Higher Ed in Prison field. Leaders at non-profit organizations, Universities and colleges, government agencies, foundations, state coalitions, etc. working within the field of Higher Ed in Prison are all welcome to apply. 

This training is limited to 24 participants who:

• Are formerly incarcerated leaders or decision makers in the Higher Education in Prison field, preferably those with Higher Education programming experience while incarcerated;

• Demonstrate personal/professional readiness to step out of their comfort zone and learn new leadership skills;

• Contribute to creating a cohort that is diverse in terms of demographics (such as race, gender identity, and sexual orientation), geography, lived experiences, and organizational strategy;

• Commit to full participation in the year-long fellowship, including three in-person retreats, completing any required pre-session work and post-session evaluations.

When are the in-person sessions? 

• Session 1: August 24-28, 2026, Wisconsin

• Session 2: November 16-20, 2026, California

• Session 3: March 8-12, 2027, New York

Fellows must be able to attend all three in-person sessions in order to participate.

Additional Program Offerings

• Virtual orientation prior to Session 1.

• Two virtual Community Calls that will support participants’ relationship building and learning outside of the structured training session time. 

• Two virtual Webinars that will support participants in learning concrete skills.

• Individual professional coaching. Each participant will have access to up to four free coaching sessions ​​with a Rockwood trainer during the program. 

Plus, cohorts 1-3 will be invited to participate in a 2-day virtual alum convening in 2027.

Applications will close May 14 and select applicants will be invited to interview in May and June. Please share this new opportunity with any colleagues or friends that meet the cohort selection criteria.

Questions? Email me at andrea@rockwoodleadership.org.  

Open to all New Englanders: Join the New England Prison Education Collaborative (NEPEC) team at Whistle Taproom & Venue on Friday, April 10th for a drop-in regional gathering following the formal conclusion of NCHEP 2026. Attendees will reflect on the week’s events, exchange insights and information, and discuss how we want to carry new ideas and practices from the conference back to our region over drinks and light bites.  

• What: A drop-in regional gathering with drinks and light appetizers 
• When: Friday, April 10, 2026, from 6 to 8 PM ET 
• Where: Whistle Taproom & Venue - 818 Huron Rd E, Cleveland, OH 44115 

Please feel free to send this invitation to other partners attending NCHEP and working in the New England region. We hope you can make it and look forward to seeing you there! 

Please join us for the Project Mend Launch Event, celebrating  the release of the fourth issue of Mend, an annual publication featuring writing and art by people impacted by the criminal legal system. It includes a Zoom option. 

Now in its fourth year, Project Mend is a collaboration between Syracuse University and the Center for Community Alternatives that brings together incarcerated writers, formerly incarcerated writers, and family members and to produce a print and digital publication. 

At the event, we will celebrate the publication while also showcasing artwork and short films that are now part of the growing Project Mend digital archive.​

Event details

Project Mend Launch Party 2026
Saturday, March 21
12:00–1:30 p.m. ET
Art in the Atrium
201 E. Washington Street, Syracuse, NY

The event will also be available on Zoom for those who wish to attend remotely. 

To register for Zoom: https://syracuseuniversity.zoom.us/meeting/register/G9tomhACShySYQpOEELq9w

The event will feature readings, artwork, and reflections from contributors and collaborators. A light lunch will be provided, and the event will also be available via Zoom.

More information about Project Mend can be found at
https://project-mend.net

Seeking reviewers! 

The International Journal for Creativity Inside is seeking contributors for our Fall 2026 issue to submit reviews of books and other media touching on the topic of arts and creativity while inside a prison, jail, or other detention facility. The journal aims to encourage cross-disciplinary discourse focusing on creativity in the carceral system. 

Deadline: April 15, 2026 

Please submit your review by April 15, 2026. Submit online on the Journal’s website. If you have problems with online submission, please reach out. 

Anyone can submit a review. I would appreciate your help promoting this opportunity to any colleagues you work with who are currently incarcerated or detained. We will send a copy of the Fall 2026 issue to every incarcerated or detained contributor. 

Reviews should be 300 – 1000 words. For more details about the specifics of submitting a review, refer to the Journal’s website and submission guidelines.  

We encourage reviews of any relevant media, including movies, art exhibits, non-English media, and more. We prioritize reviews of current material, but we accept any review that contributes to the academic and cultural conversation. 

Here are some recent works that we think merit review although you are not limited to one of these: 

• Changemakers’ Guide to Prison Arts Programming by Annie Buckley [we can get a copy to you for review purposes] 
• From Prison Arts to Creative Futures by Alman Robinson 
• A Feminist Reconstruction of Intellectual Property Laws in Music by Metka Potočnik 
• Disrupting the School-to-Prison Pipeline: An Action Guide for Libraries by Carrie Scott Banks and Jill Anderson [we can get a copy to you for review purposes] 
• The Restlessness of Bound Wrists by Jorge Antonio Renaud [we can get a copy to you for review purposes] 
• Sound and Detention edited by Lucy Cathcart Frödén, Kate Herrity, and Áine Mangaoang 
• This is Ear Hustle by Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods [2021] 

Please reach out with any questions: janderson@queenslibrary.org or dgussak@fsu.edu 

I am the Reviews editor, so that's what I have most to do with, but you are welcome to contribute any article or piece that relates to this topic.

Thanks,

Hey RCHEP Community,

Have you learned with FICGN yet? Join us tomorrow for the last HEP Orientation Learning & Feedback Session, where we'll explore the impact of K-12 education on higher ed in prison and reentry success in our "Lessons from Local Leaders" workshop. 

Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026 

Time: 11am ET/8am PT

Register and Attend: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/6ZuH0PYgSXyrT3bEWt0jHw 

Event Information: This session will feature a spotlight conversation with David A. Gethers, a veteran of the United States Marine Corp, who completed his degree inside and is now leading the movement to empower first-generation students to attain college degrees.

Reminder: FICGN is looking to refine our professional development offerings for educators and administrators working in Higher Education in Prison. Feedback from these sessions will be incorporated into the next iteration of the HEP Orientation resource.

Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/6ZuH0PYgSXyrT3bEWt0jHw

The production team of the Next Generation Media Internship Program kicks-off their 4th season with a lively Q&A session testing the knowledge of our viewers on "All Things Justice".

https://youtu.be/kAupb61e7RM

2nd and 4th Saturdays (February - April) at 10:00 a.m. CST

The Justice Beat Talk Show

S9:E2 - Topic: Learning Behind Bars

Guest: Dr. Meiners

1st and 3rd Saturdays (February - April) at 10:00 a.m. CST

https://www.youtube.com/live/QJRXVYM0Mx4?si=nn_rffcsz3reHxbl

This Spotlight features Next Generation Media Internship Program sharing how they use hands-on technical training, multimedia storytelling, and workforce literacy to equip government-displaced workers, women, people of color, formerly incarcerated adults and youth and people without degrees with the tools to unlock new career paths and entrepreneurial opportunities. We invite you to explore short video examples of the program in action through this Facebook reel and this additional reel, as well as an interview highlighting the program. For more, follow them across platforms, including YouTube, Instagram (@justicebeat2day and @justusyouth), Twitter/X, and Facebook.

To Access Video:

https://corporate.jff.org/75millionresources

Password: 75MillionNetwork

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dng_MuAj9No

Hey RCHEP Community,

Only two sessions left in FICGN's weekly series, “HEP Orientation Tuesdays: Learning & Feedback Sessions”. Join us next week as we explore Undue Familiarity in Higher Ed in Prison Programs in our "Crossing the Lines" workshop.

Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2026 

Time: 11am ET/8am PT

Register and Attend: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/P8jVPdfHQieu0SSjj5Uw7Q 

Event Information: This session examines the power dynamics between educators and students in prison and how undue or overfamiliarity poses risks to the long-term viability of HEP programs.

The session will include:

• A brief presentation about undue familiarity in prisons: being "friendly" vs. being "friends."
• An activity to learn "how to" build educational rapport with students and avoid forming inappropriate personal relationships.
• Feedback & Discussion Session

Reminder: FICGN is looking to refine our professional development offerings for educators and administrators working in Higher Education in Prison. Feedback from these sessions will be incorporated into the next iteration of the HEP Orientation resource.

Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/P8jVPdfHQieu0SSjj5Uw7Q 

Join the next session in FICGN's weekly series, “HEP Orientation Tuesdays: Learning & Feedback Sessions”. 

Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2026 

Time: 11am ET/8am PT

Register and Attend: Count Up

Event Information: This session will explore "a day in the life” of a person experiencing incarceration and pursuing higher education. 

The session will include:

• A brief presentation of carceral facility routines: assumptions, challenges, accessibility & possibility
• HEP Alumni Spotlight Featuring: Lamar Bacon (former NJ-Step student, now in reentry)
• Guided discussion and feedback from participants

We look forward to being in community with you!

Hello there! I am a doctoral student, currently in the process of completing my dissertation. I'm still in the data-gathering phase, and I'm looking for more participants. I'm studying rehumanization in folks who have just begun their reentry process. My criteria are that they were incarcerated for 10+ years and have reentered within the last 2 years. I have a flyer that I have attached to post. Please reach out if you have any questions! And please feel free to send any potential participants my way!

Hey RCHEP Community,

We are looking forward to the third session in FICGN's weekly series, “HEP Orientation Tuesdays: Learning & Feedback Sessions”. 

Date: Tuesday, February 3, 2026 

Time: 11am ET/8am PT

Register and Attend: Navigating Carceral Spaces

Event Information: This session will explore the evolution of prison design and the spatial layouts that present ethical dilemmas for educators working in prisons.

The session will include:

• A brief presentation of prison typologies over the past few centuries
• Case Study: Ethical Dilemmas in HEP Programs
• Guided discussion and feedback from participants

We look forward to being in community with you!

The Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network (FICGN) is inviting members of the RCHEP Community to the second session in our weekly series, “HEP Orientation Tuesdays: Learning & Feedback Sessions”.

Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2026 

Time: 11am ET/8am PT

Register and Attend: Understanding HEP Stakeholders

Event Information: This session will examine Higher Education in Prison stakeholder groups, their roles in implementing prison education programming, and strategies for engaging with every group at the custody and community levels.

The session will include:

• A brief presentation of all HEP stakeholder groups
• Guided discussion and feedback from participants
• Space to share insights from your own practice and experience

Your perspectives will directly inform refinements to this orientation as we continue developing it for the HEP field.

We look forward to being in community with you! 

Greetings, RCHEP community,

I’m reaching out to share some exciting news and an important leadership opportunity for formerly incarcerated individuals and to ask for your support in amplifying it across your networks. 

Just today, Jobs for the Future (JFF) officially announced the four states we selected to launch Fair Chance to Advance State Action Networks: Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, and Oregon! We warmly invite you to share this announcement with your networks. 

As part of the big announcement, we are opening the application for the four Directly Impacted Advisory Boards (DIAB) that will serve in a formal advisory role to their respective state network.  

This application will be open for just 11 days – from today through January 25th – so we need your help to make sure it reaches those who may be interested quickly!! 

Engagement with DIAB is a required activity for each of our four FC2A State Action Networks, and the boards are designed to ensure that the systems change strategies and efforts mobilized by each state network remain grounded in the lived experiences of people directly impacted by incarceration in that state. 

About the Opportunity 

1. Deadline: January 25, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
2. Application link: https://forms.office.com/r/4K8spXubmT  

Through the DIABs, directly impacted leaders will: 

1. Serve in a decision-informing role on a formal advisory body within an FC2A State Action Network.
2. Help shape network strategies, policy priorities, and coordinated action plans, ensuring that reforms to education, workforce, and reentry systems are grounded in real-world experience.
3. Collaborate with cross-sector leaders through regular advisory meetings and working sessions.
4. Access leadership development, learning opportunities, and peer connection supported by JFF and our partners. 

Compensation and Commitment 

DIAB members will serve a 12‑month term from April 1, 2026, to April 1, 2027, and will: 

1. Participate in two fully funded in-person events:
2. The National Conference for Higher Education in Prison (NCHEP) in Cleveland, Ohio (April 8–10, 2026).
3. A half-day State Action Network Summit in their home state (date and location to be determined).
4. Commit approximately 20 hours total over the year, including onboarding, reviewing state planning materials, quarterly DIAB meetings, and quarterly engagement with the State Action Network steering committee. 

DIAB members will receive a $2,000 stipend, paid in two installments at the start and end of the term. 

Eligibility 

The DIAB opportunity is open to individuals who: 

1. Have lived experience with incarceration in Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, or Oregon, and currently reside in that same state.
2. Can engage constructively with cross-sector stakeholders (such as corrections, workforce systems, and policymakers) while maintaining confidentiality and professional conduct.
3. Are able to travel and participate in the in-person events listed above.
4. Can participate in quarterly virtual meetings and review planning materials shared via Google Docs.
5. Are committed to advancing fair chance education, employment, and reentry outcomes. 

JFF will prioritize boards whose collective membership reflects a broad range of experiences across corrections, postsecondary education, reentry, and employment systems, as well as diverse identities (including race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, and family status). 

How You Can Help 

We strongly encourage you to share this opportunity widely across your networks that connect with formerly incarcerated individuals, especially those with ties to Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, and Oregon. 

Your support in amplifying this application will help us identify individuals who bring especially valuable, informed, and insightful perspectives shaped by lived experience with these systems. 

Thank you for your time and partnership!

Warmly,

Jenna Dreier

Director

Jobs for the Future (JFF)

Reach me at: jdreier@jff.org 

The Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network (FICGN) is inviting members of the higher education in prison field to participate in a series titled HEP Orientation Tuesdays: Learning & Feedback Sessions this winter.
 

These sessions are designed for HEP practitioners to engage with a module from FICGN’s HEP Orientation—a training developed to support faculty and staff who are new to working inside carceral settings. Equally important, we are seeking feedback from the field. We are eager to learn what resonates, what feels missing, and what could be improved so that this resource is useful to HEP programs nationwide.

Each session will include:

• A brief presentation of one of seven orientation modules

• Guided discussion and feedback from participants

• Space to share insights from your own practice and experience

Your perspectives will directly inform refinements to this orientation as we continue developing it for the HEP field.
 

Session Dates (all Tuesdays at 11am ET):

• January 20 - Education on the Inside

• January 27 - TBA

• February 3 - TBA

• February 10 - TBA

• February 17 - TBA

• February 24 - TBA

• March 3 - TBA

Registration links will be shared weekly via RCHEP and the Higher Education in Prison Listserv. Each session is capped at 20 participants. Practitioners at all stages of program development are encouraged to participate. Participants may attend one or more sessions, and registrants will be selected to ensure a fair and diverse group.

Sign up here for our session on January 20th:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/dcBf3t7MSKGem1OoD44apA 

We look forward to being in community with you! 

Hello Community Members!

Our team at AIR is very excited to share a new job posting for a Senior Technical Assistance (TA) Consultant with expertise in higher education in prison, work‑based learning, and related areas like postsecondary systems, workforce development, or reentry services.

The Senior TA Consultant will lead cross-sector technical assistance efforts that strengthen alignment between postsecondary education institutions, workforce systems, and reentry programs to expand access to career pathways and work-based learning.

We’re looking for someone with:

• knowledge of current HEP trends, policy developments, and best practices;
• strong facilitation and coaching skills,
• the ability to translate research and policy into practical tools, resources, and guidance for practitioners.

Candidates must have a Ph.D. and a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience; or a Master’s degree with a minimum of 7 years; or Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 9 years of experience in a related field.

The annual salary for this full-time position is $120,000 to $150,000 and includes access to AIR’s Total Rewards Program.

You can find the full job description and application here.

Please consider sharing this posting with any individuals you think would be a good fit and within your networks and please feel free to reach out with any questions.

Gratefully,

Heather Erwin -- herwin@air.org

The New England Prison Education Collaborative invites you to the second session in our quarterly virtual workshop series, “Navigating the PEP Approval process: Forming Best Interest Determination (BID) Stakeholder Groups.”  

Date and Time: Wednesday, December 17, 3-4:15 P.M. EDT  

Register here: Navigating the PEP Approval Process: Forming Best Interest Determination (BID) Stakeholder Groups | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams

Location: Microsoft Teams  

Event Details: This workshop will focus on how to form effective Best Interest Determination (BID) groups, a critical component for prison education programs in the region applying for Pell-eligibility. The BID process ensures that programs are not only compliant with federal regulations but also intentionally designed to support the development of educational opportunities that benefit incarcerated learners and support reentry and long-term success. Panelists will discuss how they developed their BID processes and working groups—sharing practical advice, key successes, and the challenges encountered along the way. 

Expert Panelists:  

• Ruth Delaney, Initiative Director for Unlocking Potential, Vera Institute of Justice 
• Laura Roda, Director of Adult Education, Staff Development & Training, State of Maine Department of Corrections 
• Tyler Stoldt, Dean of Enrollment Management and Student Services, Washington County Community College 
• Thom Anderson, Post-Secondary Education Program Coordinator, Vermont Department of Corrections 

A portion of the session will be reserved for open discussion, offering stakeholders and attendees a chance to ask questions, raise concerns, and receive focused technical assistance. We encourage all attendees to come prepared to engage and collaborate.  

If you’re unable to attend, we would be grateful if you could engage with and reshare our LinkedIn post on the event to help spread the word.   

If you have any questions or need additional details, please don’t hesitate to reach out to nepec@nebhe.org. We hope to see you there. 

Join the Normalizing Education Collective on December 16^th from 1-2:15 PM ET for a session focused on successfully navigating the PEP application process. Hear from institutional leaders- Katie Dwyer from Chemeketa Community College and Stephanie Gaskill from Loyola University; Sheila Meiman from NASFAA; and Sean Addie and Ashley Shuler with U.S. Department of Education as they share lessons learned and best practice strategies. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from peers, share experiences, and ask specific questions that deepen their understanding of the latest federal requirements and implementation considerations.

REGISTER HERE!

You can also SIGN UP HERE to learn about upcoming events and access other resources from the Center for Justice and Economic Advancement at JFF. 

If you are not yet a member, you can complete this form to Join the Normalizing Education Collective.