The Postsecondary Education Stakeholder Committee supports the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) in their effort to provide high quality and equitable postsecondary education opportunities to people who are currently incarcerated in the State of Colorado. The Committee, acting in collaboration with the Education Department of the Colorado Department of Corrections, is responsible for reviewing all applications from colleges/universities wanting to offering postsecondary education programs in a CDOC facility and the annual review of all current college/university postsecondary education programs. The Stakeholder Committee will provide feedback and recommendations to the CDOC following assessment guidelines that are co-created by the Committee and CDOC Education Administrators and with the input of students (current and former) and active postsecondary education program leadership.
The Stakeholder Committee is composed of: students who are currently and formerly incarcerated, higher education in prison program leaders, state agency representatives (i.e., Department of Education, Department of Labor, Department of Corrections, Community College Association), community-based organizations working in reentry, and regional accrediting organizations. If you are interested in learning more and/or joining the Stakeholder Committee please review the materials provided below. All interested parties must complete the Application linked at the bottom of this page.
Responsibilities
Stakeholder Committee Members are volunteers who want to support the mission of the Colorado Department of Corrections to provide access to quality higher education in prison to people who are currently incarcerated. Committee Members agree to share their relevant expertise, skills, experience, resources, and networks to advance these efforts by engaging in the following:
● Review and Evaluate Postsecondary Program Applications;
● Review and Evaluate Postsecondary Program Annual Reports;
● Participate in meetings and discussions;
● Contribute to written feedback (on Applications and Annual Reports) to the CDOC; and
● Be a collaborative member of the Review Committee.
Each Review Committee Member has an equal role on the committee (including voting rights) and the right to be treated as an equal partner, regardless of their title, affiliation, and/or current or former incarceration status. Stakeholder Committee Members are responsible for their own due diligence when evaluating program application and/or annual reports. These efforts include, but are not limited to: reviewing documents in advance of meetings, requesting additional information in advance of decision making/voting, and being present at all Committee Meetings.
Stakeholder Committee Members are asked to maintain confidentiality about all matters related to the work of the Committee (and the outcomes of this work).
Membership and Roles
The Review Committee should always keep at least seven (7) active members and no more than nine (9). It is critical that membership on the Review Committee represents the diversity of the postsecondary education in prison community, as members with diverse backgrounds, professions, skills, and lived experiences all work toward creating better outcomes for students. If the Committee members falls under seven, a special application process might need to be opened. Membership must include the following constituencies:
● Department of Corrections Staff: At least one, and no more than two, Committee Member(s) should be a current DOC staff member. This representative will also serve as the Stakeholder Committee Administrator;
● Student Representatives: At least two currently incarcerated students should serve as a committee members and at least one committee member should be a formerly incarcerated student;
● Community Representatives: At least one community members working with an organization that represents people who are formerly incarcerated should serve on the committee.
● State Agency Representative: At least one committee member, and no more than two, committee Member(s) should represent a state agency in Colorado. It is strongly recommended that one of these representatives come from the Colorado Department of Higher Education.
● Accrediting Agency Representative: One member of the Stakeholder Committee must be a representative of regional accrediting agency.
● Postsecondary Agency Representative: At least one committee member of the committee should represent a Colorado college/university that currently administers a higher education in prison program.
Members must serve terms of one to three years, with term end dates that stagger so that no more than a third (⅓) of the Stakeholder Committee Members transition off of the committee in a given calendar year. No member shall serve more than four consecutive years without unanimous approval by the sitting Stakeholder Committee Members. Term lengths should be agreed upon in writing in the Stakeholder Committee Member Agreement.
OVERVIEW:
The Colorado Department of Corrections Postsecondary Education in Prison Stakeholder Committee accepts applications on a rolling basis. If you are interested in helping to advance the CDOC's mission to ensure equitable access to quality postsecondary education for all people incarcerated in Colorado, please consider submitting an application. The Stakeholder Committee is an all-volunteer committee and members serve without compensation from the Colorado Department of Corrections.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS ARE EXPECTED TO:
● Contribute a minimum of one year of service;
● Attend four meeting per year and contribute no more than five hours of work per month (including attendance at general committee meetings);
● Participate in an annual training and onboarding session for new and returning Committee Members;
● Represent the purpose and goals of the Review Committee and act in the best interest of students; and
● Leverage networks, experiences, and expertise to advance the work of the Stakeholder Committee.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:
Stakeholder Committee membership is an exciting opportunity for individuals who are passionate about equitable and quality higher education programming within the Colorado Department of Corrections.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR CANDIDATES WITH SOME OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:
● First-hand experience with incarceration and/or higher education in prison programs;
● Professional experience in related fields such as higher education, the nonprofit sector, reentry, employment/labor, and social justice/organizing, etc.;
● A passion for confronting the continuing challenge of equity (particularly as it relates to relationship to incarceration, race, gender, and sexuality) in higher education;
● A commitment to the vision of expanding postsecondary education opportunities within the CDOC.
● A strong connection within Colorado and a commitment to advancing academic excellence in the state.
APPLICATION PROCESS AND TIMELINE:
The CDOC Postsecondary Education in Prison Stakeholder Committee continuously accepts applications from prospective new members, but new members are on-boarded once per year. Applications will be reviewed by the sitting Committee members, and invitations to join the Review Committee will be extended via email. The annual committee cycle begins July 1st of each year. Applications are reviewed no later than March 31st and invitations are extended no later than June 1st.
If you are interested in joining the committee, please complete the application linked below. Please direct questions to: xxxx@xxxxx.xx