THE CALL FOR PROPOSALS IS CLOSED.  Please register for the conference on the “Registration” tab.

Announcing the sixth annual National Conference on Higher Education in Prison (NCHEP) November 3-6, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee!  Hosted by Belmont University and THEInitiative[1], this year’s conference theme is “Unity and Community”.  Unity because despite our diversity, we share a common goal:  through education, to liberate the minds of incarcerated people.  Community because, once a year, we gather to support and learn from one another, and we come away stronger.   

Our goal is to combine the best aspects of plenary sessions with individualized breakout sessions.  We invite you to submit a proposal that addresses one (or more) of the following topic areas related to prison education.

  • Pedagogy: innovative projects; teacher training; obstacles and solutions; lessons learned
  • Program Models: novel program designs; technology or lack thereof; relationships between prison education programs, academic institutions, and departments of corrections 
  • Starting and Sustaining: starting a program from scratch; evaluating and assessing program effectiveness; fundraising to sustain programs
  • Student Experiences: program feedback from the perspective of current and former students; degree completion and reentry
  • Research: academic research;  the IRB process for research involving incarcerated people; research implications for prison education 
  • Community Engagement: advisory boards / boards of directors; identifying, negotiating with, and responding to stakeholders; gaining and sustaining community support 
  • Other: if your paper does not fall under any of the categories above

Proposals may be submitted by educators, administrators, or current/formerly incarcerated students from a broad range of prison education programs. For example: Associate/Baccalaureate degree granting programs, Credit-bearing non-degree programs, Correspondence programs (of any type), Arts education programs, Programs that support family members, Re-entry programs, Department of Corrections education programs, Political / Community advocacy programs.

Please use the form below to submit your proposal to NCHEP2016@gmail.com by August 20, 2016.  Proposal acceptance confirmation:  September 15, 2016. 

 NOTE: We encourage all presentations to include the perspective of current or former students of your program, if applicable.

 Questions?  Please send inquiries to NCHEP2016@gmail.com. 

6th National Conference on Higher Education in Prison

Submission Deadline:  August 20, 2016

Type of Submission

____Single presentation  – 1 or more people giving a single talk for approximately 15 minutes

____Panel  – Multiple presenters giving different talks organized around a common theme for an entire session, approximately 75 minutes

____Poster Session

 Presenter Information – NOTE:  If more than 3 people are creating and/or presenting, please include their information by copying/pasting additional lines (e.g., name, email, attending/not) as needed. 

1.Name ______________________________________________________

Program ______________________________________________________

Email ________________________Phone _________________________

2.Name_______________________________________________________

Program______________________________________________________

Email _____________________Phone _____________________________ 

3.Name_______________________________________________________

Program______________________________________________________

Email ________________________Phone __________________________

Presentation Topic Area (You may check more than one.)

_____Pedagogy:  innovative project; teacher training; obstacles and solutions; lessons learned

_____Program Models:  novel program designs; technology or lack thereof; relationships between prison education programs, academic institutions, and departments of corrections 

_____Starting and Sustaining:  starting a program from scratch; evaluating and assessing program effectiveness; fundraising to sustain programs

_____Student Experiences:  program feedback from the perspective of current and former students; degree completion and reentry

_____Research:  academic research; the IRB process for research involving incarcerated people; research implications for prison education 

_____Community Engagement:  advisory boards / boards of directors; identifying, negotiating with, and responding to stakeholders; gaining and sustaining community support 

_____Other:  if your paper does not fall under any of the categories above, please explain.    

Type of prison education (You may check more than one.)

___Associate or Baccalaureate degree granting programs 

___Credit-bearing non-degree programs

___Correspondence programs (of any type)                         

___Arts education

___Programs that support family members                        

___Re-entry programs

___Department of Corrections education programs            

___Political advocacy

  • Suggested Title of Presentation / Poster ________________________________________________________________
  • Panels:  If you are suggesting a panel, provide a suggested title for your panel that clearly identifies the common theme of your session. Then, identify each presentation title and presenter(s).  Sessions are limited to 75 minutes. We recommend no more than 3 presentations in each session.

Panel Title______________________________________________________________

Presentation #1 Title/Presenter last name(s)  ___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

 Presentation #2 Title/Presenter last name(s)  ____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

 Presentation #3 Title/Presenter last name(s)  ____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

  • Abstract(s): summarize the main points of your presentation(s) in 200-250 words).  We encourage all presentations to include the perspectives of current or former students of your program, if applicable. Please include a clear statement that specifies whether, and if so how, current or formerly incarcerated people will be meaningfully involved in the presentation itself or in the creation of its content. Also, please indicate your technology needs!
  • Please provide a brief bio (4-5 sentences) for each presenter.  You may include program information as well, including website or social media links, if applicable.

Please email this form to NCHEP2016@gmail.com by August 20, 2016.

[1] The Tennessee Higher Education Initiative, Inc. is a non-profit organization offering on-site college courses for credit to the incarcerated in Tennessee.