Program Coordinator, Center for Prison Education-York CI Site - Tenders Global
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Program Coordinator, Center for Prison Education-York CI Site

Wesleyan University

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Position Information
Position Information

Job Posting Number S01288
Position Title Program Coordinator, Center for Prison Education-York CI Site
Department Center for Prison Education-1042
Job Category Staff Posting
Position Type Full-Time
Work Location On Campus
Pay Type Salaried
Salary Range $50,800-$59,500
Compensation Practices Experience is taken into consideration in the determination of salary offers.  For more information visit https://www.wesleyan.edu/hr/handbook/compensation-practices/index.html
Position Details The Wesleyan University Center for Prison Education (CPE) works in partnership with the Connecticut Department of Correction (DOC) to bring the transformative power of a liberal arts education to students incarcerated in Connecticut prisons. The program operates in Cheshire Correctional Institution (CCI – a maximum-security prison for men) and in York Correctional Institution (YCI – the state’s only prison for women), offering an AS (Associate in Science) degree through a partnership with CT State Community College, Middlesex, and a BLS (Bachelor of Liberal Studies) degree through Wesleyan.
Reporting to the Director of the CPE, the Program Coordinator is responsible for cultivating college community, fostering shared ambition, and inspiring intellectual curiosity among students at York Correction Institution. There is opportunity for expansion and enhancement of CPE’s program at this facility, and this position will lend critically to planning and implementation of improvements and new initiatives.
The position provides training and close, ongoing support to CPE faculty and student tutors from Wesleyan’s campus, and works with the Department of Correction and with York CI staff on the ground to ensure successful implementation of the academic program at the women’s prison.
Responsibilities will include:
Serve as primary point of contact for student body and principal liaison between students and the CPE team and faculty

  • Maintain thorough understanding of student body at York CI: their degree progress and academic interests as well as issues impacting their participation in the program. Serve as a resource and a support to non-traditional, incarcerated, adult students in reaching their full potential
  • Assess students’ strengths, interests and academic records to offer counsel on course enrollment and Concentration selection; serve as conduit to students’ faculty advisors & the further CPE team around students’ academic interests and needs, and contribute to CPE systems of student-related record keeping
  • Understand curriculum & maintain working knowledge of courses on offer semester by semester, to support with coursework & serve as a conduit to students’ course instructors; facilitate two-three in-prison study hall sessions per week
  • Coordinate extracurricular programming with an understanding of student interests and needs

Address CPE faculty needs as a primary liaison between faculty and the CPE team and students ·

  • Participate in interviews of prospective faculty, preparing them for the constraints and challenges of in-prison teaching; support during recruitment and semester course planning the adaptation of courses for the prison context
  • Plan and implement faculty orientation with CPE’s Director, preparing professors new to in-prison teaching for the challenges — pedagogical, emotional, and cultural – of the environment and its codes of conduct
  • Provide ongoing support to faculty in troubleshooting prison-related issues impacting teaching as well as navigating issues students may be facing
  • Assess faculty schedules to develop course schedules at YCI, including arranging makeup classes, to ensure sufficient contact hours, and advising sessions

Support academic program design and implementation to enhance incarcerated students’ learning experience & engage main campus volunteers in CPE

  • Coach and prepare student Tutors/Teaching Assistants pedagogically, culturally, and emotionally to navigate the complex prison context and its rules, written and unwritten, and to appropriately engage with incarcerated students and prison staff; design and facilitate their pre-semester orientation; create and implement systems for documentation and assessment of the tutor experience
  • Supervise and manage and support student Tutors/TAs throughout the semester & create structures for their professional development and community-building: supporting their growth as tutors and their increasing awareness and sophistication about the prison context and the issues incarcerated college students face
  • Develop and implement systems to enable incarcerated student research, despite an offline learning environment at York CI; collaborate with Wesleyan University Library and CPE’s Director to make databases and catalogs accessible in prison classrooms; train, support, supervise and manage undergraduates serving as Research Partners to incarcerated students

Develop and maintain productive working relationships with Department of Correction partners

  • Attend quarterly meetings at CT DOC Central Office and monthly meetings with YCI leadership, judiciously advocating program needs and supporting maintenance of positive relations · Exercise continual good judgment and knowing at YCI on the ground in navigating conflicting educational and security priorities
  • Act as liaison with the Department of Correction and YCI staff to coordinate necessary pre-semester processes, orientations, and documentation for faculty and students’ clearance to work in the prison setting
  • Manage submission and approvals by DOC of each semester’s course content, including approval by designated Central Office contacts of audio/visual materials; organize with DOC Central Office Security Division and YCI staff the pre-semester transfer of digital course materials onto in-prison student laptops
  • Manage the day-to-day operations of CPE’s program at York CI, collaborating with YCI staff and conforming to prison protocol to ensure that classes, study halls and further on-site activities run smoothly and on schedule


Collaborate closely with and support CPE’s program coordinator for CPE’s program at Cheshire CI
Other duties as assigned
This position is required to work on campus.

(Relocation assistance to CT is available for those who qualify).
Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 4 years of experience relevant to college in prison, or the equivalent combination of training, education and experience. Combination of relevant professional, student, and volunteer experience will be considered.
Demonstrated ability to work with diverse stakeholders at multiple levels and to manage nuanced relationships.
Ability to communicate effectively and respectfully with a broad range of constituents.
Experience teaching, tutoring, or leading workshops.
Experience training, coaching and managing volunteers.
Creative problem-solving skills.
Acute organizational and time-management skills.
Excellent Microsoft Office skills.
Eligibility for appropriate security clearance(s) for work inside Department of Correction facilities.
Valid Driver’s License and reliable transportation to get to facilities.
This position regularly requires work outside of traditional business hours including early mornings and evenings.
Preferred Qualifications Experience working with college faculty at an institution of higher learning.
Experience teaching in prison.
Special Instructions to Applicants Position is open until filled. For full consideration please apply by April 8, 2024 when first review of applications will begin.
In your cover letter please address what draws you to this position and what prepares you to be successful in it.
Additional Information All offers to external applicants are contingent on the candidate’s completion of a pre-employment background check screening to the satisfaction of Wesleyan University.
Benefits Wesleyan offers a broad range of employee benefits and development opportunities, including comprehensive group insurance plans, wellness programs and incentives, generous paid time off and retirement plans. We also offer flexible work schedules, employee and dependent tuition programs, as well as access to Wesleyan’s BLS & GLS programs for those who qualify (tuition is waived for up to 2 courses a term; some fees and taxes may apply).
Detailed information on the benefits of working at Wesleyan is located at: https://wesleyan.edu/hr/careers/prospective-resources.html .
Quick Link https://careers.wesleyan.edu/postings/10350

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