The Wesleyan Center for Prison Education

North College 419
237 High Street
Middletown, CT 06459
cpe@wesleyan.edu

FOLLOW:

The CPE is funded entirely through grants and gifts. Your contribution is critical to our continued creation of college opportunity in CT prisons. Donate securely online or mail a check, with 'Center for Prison Education' in the memo line, to Wesleyan University, 55 High Street, Middletown, CT 06457.

Center For Prison Education

The Center for Prison Education (CPE) expands access to bold and rigorous liberal learning, creating pathways to college for those whom higher education has traditionally left out. CPE students at Cheshire and York prisons enhance our academic community and demonstrate the power of a Wesleyan education.

Since its founding by Wesleyan undergraduates over a dozen years ago, the Center has offered some 180 courses across the liberal arts to nearly 200 students, engaging a passionate collective of Wesleyan faculty, administrators, staff, and traditional undergraduates in the project.

To date, 51 students have earned their associate's degree through the CPE partnership with Middlesex Community College (now CT State Community College), and 16 men and women have earned their Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree from Wesleyan.

2009: CPE founded by Wesleyan students; 1st cohort enrolls at Cheshire
2013: CPE expands to York women’s prison
2018: First graduation; 19 associate’s degrees awarded via Middlesex CC partnership
2021: First 7 students graduate with Wesleyan Bachelor of Liberal Studies degrees
To date: 51 associate’s and 16 BLS degrees earned by students in prison

“The CPE education …is about opening up an opportunity for new types of participation that we may not even envision.” -CPE student

“I feel like I’ve set an example [for my kids], and that I have kind of been a better role model for them, because I felt like I wouldn’t be able to be one while I was here, but this college education has changed all that.” -CPE student

“Prison education is less of a societal expense than incarceration is. If you educate them, they contribute to society; they become someone who is a leader within the community.” - CPE alumna Marisol Garisol, working toward her law degree

We are grateful to the Mellon Foundation for significant partnership to our current work. The CPE is a member of the Consortium for the Liberal Arts in Prison and indebted to the Bard Prison Initiative for BPI's critical role in our launch. Gratitude also to the Tow Foundation, the Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority, Propel Capital, the Weissberg Foundation, the Friends of Kang Yun Foundation, the Singer Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Ichigo Foundation, and the Sunshine Lady Foundation for support now and in getting us to this point. Thank you, finally, to our generous community of individual supporters for fueling the expansion of access to bold and rigorous liberal learning to CPE students, enabling their enrichment of this University community.