Ascendium Higher Education in Prison Grantee Convening

9-9:30 a.m.

Breakfast

Exhibit Hall C

9:30-10:15 a.m.

Welcome and Centering

Exhibit Hall C

Ascendium leadership kicks off the convening, welcoming participants and sharing the importance of investing in learners with a history of incarceration.

Speakers

10:15-11:15 a.m.

The Pell of it All

Exhibit Hall C

The reinstatement of Pell Grants for incarcerated college students in July 2023 transformed the landscape of postsecondary education in prison overnight. Since then, postsecondary institutions have worked diligently to navigate the complex approval process. Leaders from across the field break down key roadblocks and provide an overview of the progress made in the first 18 months of Pell’s return.

Speakers

Watch

11:15-11:30 a.m.

Break

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

HEP Growing Together: Tools of the Field

Exhibit Hall C

As the postsecondary education in prison field grows and diversifies, the need for strong infrastructure support has never been greater. Programs require resources, tools, and training to fulfill the promise of postsecondary education for learners with a history of incarceration. Leaders from across the field discuss impactful resources that have emerged and explore how participants can leverage them to strengthen their work.

Speakers

Watch

12:30-2 p.m.

Lunch and Getting to Know the Community

Exhibit Hall C

2-2:20 p.m.

Break

2:20-5 p.m.

Visit to the Legacy Museum

400 N. Court St., Montgomery, Alabama

5-7:30 p.m.

Dinner

9-11:30 a.m.

Breakfast and Reflections: Realities of the Past Shaping a Vision of the Future

Exhibit Hall C

To start the session, journalist Robert Samuels discusses his work, including “His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice,” which earned him the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. He then leads a conversation with four formerly incarcerated leaders as they reflect on the need for postsecondary education in prison programs to create opportunity pathways for their students.

Speakers

Watch

11:30-11:45 a.m.

Break

11:45 a.m-12:45 p.m.

Peer Consulting and Grantee Connections

Exhibit Hall C

Participants network, peer consult, and share information with each other.

12:45-1:45 p.m.

Lunch

Exhibit Hall C

1:45-3:30 p.m.

Breakout Sessions

Intermediary Community of Practice, Part 1
The Higher Education in Prison Intermediary Community of Practice regroups and reconnects.

Speakers

Communicating With Clarity and Context: A Planning Workshop, Part 1

Speaker

Program-Centric Budgeting: Real Costs and Revenue Alignment
A viable financial management strategy needs to address a vision for the future, as well as incorporate an understanding of the past and present financial position of the organization. This workshop helps participants develop a well-designed budget that facilitates programmatic, strategic, and fiscal discussions among organizational leadership, resulting in a mission-driven budget.

Speaker

3:30-4 p.m.

Break

4-5:45 p.m.

Breakout Sessions

Intermediary Community of Practice, Part 2
The Higher Education in Prison Intermediary Community of Practice regroups and reconnects.

Speakers

Communicating With Clarity and Context: A Planning Workshop, Part 2

Speaker

Using Data to Make Decisions and Improve Programming: An Introduction and Workshop to Strategic Evidence Planning with Project Evident
The Strategic Evidence Plan is a clear, step-by-step guide that gathers and uses data to support an organization’s goals. It shows how using data to make decisions can help achieve the best outcomes for the people and communities an organization serves. This workshop provides an overview of the Strategic Evidence Planning process. It also shares real case studies of organizations that have gone through the process.

Speakers

6-8 p.m.

Dinner and Closing