Cornell Prison Education Program records

The Cornell Prison Education Program (CPEP) originated in the 1990s, when Professor Pete Wetherbee and other faculty members began volunteering to teach a small number of classes at Auburn Correctional Facility. Cornell University allowed credits to be earned for the classes (without charging fees or tuition) starting in 1999. The program grew further in 2005, when Mary Fainsod Katzenstein joined and began seeking additional resources and support. Through Kaplan fellowships, grants (including grants from the Sunshine Lady Foundation and, in 2015, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation), and support from Cornell University administration, family, and alumni, the program continued its expansion. In 2010 it was formalized as the Cornell Prison Education Program (CPEP). CPEP offered twelve courses per semester, taught by volunteer faculty and graduate students with support from undergraduate teaching assistants. Additionally, Cornell University began partnering with the State University of New York (SUNY) to enable CPEP students to earn an Associate degree through SUNY Cayuga Community College. The first degree-granting program was offered at Auburn Correctional Facility, and conferred its first group of 16 Associate degrees from Cayuga Community College in 2012. A generous 2014 gift from an alumnus allowed the program to be offered at Cayuga Correctional facility; offerings expanded to Five Points Correctional Facility in 2015 through a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. In 2017, the faculty of Cornell University’s College of Arts and Sciences voted to create and approve a CPEP option for a Cornell University Certificate in Liberal Arts. In addition to the degree and certificate programs, CPEP has offered a guest lecture series and supports an inmate-run theatre program, the Phoenix Players Theatre Group. Beginning in 2019, the program spread to the Elmira Correctional Facility, offering an Associate degree through SUNY Corning Community College. As of 2023, the Cornell Prison Education Program continues to serve as the coordinating entity for multiple academic institutions offering higher education for people incarcerated in upstate New York prisons.