Dear <<First Name>>,
One year ago we declared in this newsletter "We are back (sort of)" as we informed you that we would be switching to correspondence instruction mode until the pandemic wound down, as it surely would any day.
Well.
Fast forward one year and COVID is in retreat, but is fighting rearguard battles requiring continued patience as we actively plan for a return to face-to-face instruction at Muskegon Correctional Facility. Will we be able to resume normal operations this summer? Likely not. How about sometime in the fall? We hope so, but we will continue to take our cues from our Michigan Department of Corrections partners who are advising us on options for how to phase our return to the prison classroom as circumstances allow. In all of this we remain mindful of the advice of Fr. Solanus Casey to "thank God ahead of time" for the many graces God has bestowed on the Hope-Western Prison Education Program, its students, and its friends. And we thank you for your continuing support and friendship, which is altogether encouraging.
The number of HWPEP supporters has doubled in the past 12 months. Click here to see how your donation helps HWPEP students>>
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Pam Bush Joins HWPEP Leadership Team
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A college education - especially a college education in the liberal arts offered in the context of the historic Christian faith - is about more than accumulating facts and skills. Much, much more. A college education should form students as whole persons whose developing wisdom reflects brightly the fact of their creation as beloved children of God. Ideally, this process of formation is intentional, widely shared among professors and staff, and deeply rooted in the culture of an institution and its programs.
The Hope-Western Prison Education Program is very pleased to announce that Rev. Dr. Pamela Bush has joined its leadership team as Associate Director of Learning and Formation. Pam has been a member of the Western Theological Seminary Formation Team since 2016, caring for students, facilitating formation courses and peer groups, and creating opportunities for student growth and discipleship. Pam has also been a member of WTS Hebrew Team, teaching interactive Hebrew courses, designing embodied, collaborative pedagogy, and co-creating an innovative program for student leaders. Previous to working full time at WTS, Pam spent 10 years with Campus Ministry at Grand Valley State University as a small group designer and campus minister. Pam graduated from WTS with a Master of Divinity degree in 2006 and a Doctor of Ministry degree in 2017. She is an ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Reformed Church in America. Before seminary Pam and her family lived and served at Camp Manitoqua and Inspiration Hills Camp. Prior to entering seminary, Pam worked as an RN in pediatrics, obstetrics, home health, school and camp.
Pam will create and implement programs and processes that foster holistic formation of students and other participants in the HWPEP, being attentive to spiritual, emotional, character, intellectual, social, and leadership formation. In coordination with the HWPEP directors, Pam will develop and implement curriculum, pedagogy, and student engagement.
Pam taught a non-credit course in the pilot phase of HWPEP called Communicating with Courage and Compassion. The 20 students in her class will never be the same. Here's what Pam has to say about her motivation to extend her vocation to work with incarcerated students:
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“Several years ago, God planted in me a desire to walk with people who are or have been incarcerated. I am thrilled that God has now brought this nudging to fruition via the HWPEP. When I taught my first class at Muskegon Correctional Facility I quickly recognized the Spirit at work in the enthusiastic, engaged, thoughtful participation of the HWPEP students. I believe they have much to offer the church and the world. My deepest hope is that they will experience respect, encouragement, empowerment, and flourishing.”
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Warden James Schiebner Assumes the Leadership of Muskegon Correctional Facility
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James Schiebner has been appointed Warden at Muskegon Correctional Facility. Warden Schiebner has been with the Michigan Department of Corrections for 13 years, and most recently served as Deputy Warden at Ionia Correctional Facility. Warden Schiebner has a BASc in Corrections Administration from Bellevue University and an AA in Criminal Justice and Corrections from West Shore Community College.
We look forward to working with Warden Schiebner and his team in the years to come, and wish him every possible success in his new role.
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Meet the Circle of Advisors
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The Hope-Western Prison Education Program Circle of Advisors meets regularly with the program’s leadership and serves as a consultative group to help devise and review strategies to help the HWPEP accomplish its goals and purposes. Meet George Julius:
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Back when the Hope-Western Prison Education Program was just a hazy dream - devoid of form or substance - George Julius generously offered to fund a trip for Richard Ray and David Stubbs to visit the New Orleans Baptist Seminary's college-in-prison program at Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, LA. The things we learned and the connections we made during that trip have been instrumental in the early successes of the program's pilot phase. Just as important, George has become one of the program's most eager and enthusiastic supporters. A former member of the leadership team at Brooks Beverage, George now serves as a member of the board at Comfort Research in Grand Rapids. Originally from Pittsburgh, George holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Here's what George has to say about his reasons for supporting this initiative:
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"We all have stories of how education transformed our lives - new ways of opening up to opportunities to explore, gain insight and find ways to support and help others. The HWPEP is truly changing lives through education. The men in this program discover paths for liberation from old patterns and discover that the pursuit of knowledge gives self-wisdom and also helps them contribute to their community — whether that is during their time in prison or upon release into the wider world.
When I visited Muskegon Correctional Facility I was able to see firsthand how men with a great diversity in background and life experience lived in fellowship together and became role models for each other. I felt honored and blessed to see the impact of this program and hope others will be inspired to learn more and get involved."
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Bookshelf is the newest addition to our monthly HWPEP Updates. We'll bring you suggestions for readings intended to educate, inform, and inspire you for the work of the Hope-Western Prison Education Program.
If you know of a book that you think others committed to the prison education project might find helpful, please send us your suggestions.
Lagemann, Ellen Condliffe. Liberating Minds: The Case for College in Prison. The New Press, 2017. ($10.99 on Amazon Kindle).
Anthony Cardenales was a stickup artist in the Bronx before spending 17 years in prison. Today he is a senior manager at a recycling plant in Westchester, New York. He attributes his ability to turn his life around to the college degree he earned in prison. Many college-in-prison graduates achieve similar success and the positive ripple effects for their families and communities, and for the country as a whole, are dramatic. College-in-prison programs greatly reduce recidivism, leading to potential savings in the staggering cost of prisons. They increase post-prison employment, allowing the formerly incarcerated to better support their families and to reintegrate successfully into their communities, providing positive role models. College programs also decrease violence within prisons, improving conditions for both correction officers and the incarcerated.
Liberating Minds eloquently makes the case for these multiple benefits and also tells the stories of many formerly incarcerated college students and the remarkable transformations in their lives.
Both access to college for all Americans and criminal justice reform are high on today’s national policy agenda. Liberating Minds argues that it is imperative, both for prisoners themselves and for society, that access to higher education be extended to include the incarcerated. As the country faces a legacy of decades of over-incarceration, offering college behind bars provides a corrective on the path back to a more democratic and humane society.
What reviewers say about this book:
“Important and engaging. Lagemann reinforces her case with solid social science research findings on the positive effects of higher education in prison on both the inmates themselves and the larger society. A must-read.”
—William Julius Wilson, Lewis P. and Linda L. Geyser University Professor, Harvard University
“A powerful, simple solution to make prison a place of education and rehabilitation: provide all inmates a free higher education. The strength of Lagemann’s argument lies in the empathy and enthusiasm with which she tells the stories of people whose lives were made better by college in prison.”
—Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation
“A masterful book on a complex and compelling topic, mixing personal insights from teaching behind prison walls with a scholar’s understanding of the critical role of college education in our democracy.”
—Jeremy Travis, President, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
“A must for anyone interested in ending mass incarceration.”
—Arne Duncan, former U.S. secretary of education
Source: The New Press
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HWPEP and TRIO Upward Bound Support Each Other
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HWPEP extends its thanks to a generous supporter who recently sponsored a HWPEP foursome at the Hope College TRIO Upward Bound golf outing. The team of HWPEP friends Jim Bultman, Jason Julius, George Julius, and Mary Bauman finished a respectable four under par at the challenging Winding Creek Golf Club in Holland. The event raised thousands of dollars for deserving Upward Bound students.
TRIO Upward Bound is a pre-college preparatory program for students grades 8–12 who are interested in pursuing an educational program beyond high school. TRIO is a set of seven federally-funded educational opportunity outreach programs and one staff training program. It seeks to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds, namely low-income and/or first-generation students.
TRIO programs provide academic tutoring, personal counseling, mentoring, financial guidance and other supports necessary for educational access and retention. They currently serve nearly 850,000 students from middle school through post-graduate study across America. TRIO programs provide direct support services for students, and relevant training for directors and staff. Hope College has one of the oldest TRIO Upward Bound programs in the nation.
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Please consider a gift to support our work.
The Hope-Western Prison Education Program's fundraising goal for 2021 is $200,000. Gifts made this year will be matched up to $100,000. All gifts help offset costs for professor and teaching assistant stipends, travel to and from Muskegon Correctional Facility, textbook and computer purchases, school supplies, and student and staff orientation. Can you help?
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Help us spread the good news of the Hope-Western Prison Education Program by forwarding this to a friend. Thank you.
Our mailing address is:
prisonprogram@hope.edu
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