Center for Prison Education

222 Church Street
Middletown, CT 06459
cpe@wesleyan.edu
860-685-5760
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  • Faculty

    Professors teach the same courses in prison that they teach on Wesleyan's main campus. Current and Past Professors

    Fall 2023

    At York C.I.

    • Sean McCann, Professor of English, Wesleyan University

    At Cheshire C.I

    • Beth Richards, Assosciate Professor of English, University of Hartford
    • Kari Weil, University Professor of Environmental Studies, Wesleyan University
    • Lauren Silber, Associate Professor of the Practice in Academic Writing, Wesleyan University
    • Naho Maruta, Associate Professor of the Practice in East Asian Studies, Wesleyan University
    • Nutan Mishra, Instructor of Sociology and Anthropology, CT State Community College
    • Troy Schinkel, Instructor of Geolgical Sciences, CT State Community College

    Summer 2023

    At York C.I.

    • Liz Fox, University of Massachusetts Amherst

    Spring 2023

    At Cheshire C.I

    • Carla Coste Sanchez, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Wesleyan University
    • Beth Richards, Assosciate Professor of English, University of Hartford
    • Nikos Valance, Visiting Assistant Professor of Econimics, Wesleyan University
    • Pamela Frost, Professor of Mathematics, Middlesex Community College
    • Elizabeth Bobrick, Visiting Professor of Classical Studies, Wesleyan University
    • Jeanine Buckley, Adjunct Writing Professor, Middlesex Community College

    At York C.I.

    Fall 2022

    At Cheshire C.I

    • Amy Tang, Associate Professor of English, Wesleyan University
    • Pamela Frost, Professor of Mathematics, Middlesex Community College
    • Cheryl Greenberg, Distinguished Professor of History, Trinity College
    • Sean McCann, Professor of English, Wesleyan University
    • Han Li, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Wesleyan University 

    Summer 2022

    At Cheshire C.I.

    • Serena Witzke, Visiting Assistant Professor of Classical Studies, Wesleyan University

    Spring 2022

    At Cheshire C.I

    • Stephanie Weiner, Professor of English, Wesleyan University
    • Kari Weil, University Professor of Environmental Studies, Wesleyan University
    • Kegan Samuel, Professor of Mathemathics, Middlesex Community College

     

    At York C.I.

    • Beth Richards, Assosciate Professor of English, University of Hartford
    • Lori Gruen, Professor of Philosophy, Wesleyan University
    • Sarah Mahurin, Dean of Timothy Dwight College, Yale University

    Fall 2021

    At Cheshire C.I

    • Pamela Frost, Professor of Mathematics, Middlesex Community College
    • Christopher Hammond, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Connecticut College
    • Elise Springer, Associate Professor of Philosophy
    • Liz Fox, University of Massachusetts Amherst
    • Andrew Curran, Professor of the Humanities, Wesleyan University
    • Lori Gruen, Professor of Philosophy, Wesleyan University

     

    At York C.I.

    • Beth Richards, Assistant Professor, University of Hartford
    • Lori Gruen, Professor of Philosophy, Wesleyan University
    • Sarah Mahurin, Dean of Timothy Dwight College, Yale University

    Summer 2021:

    At York C.I.

    • Serena Witzke, Visiting Assistant Professor of Classical Studies, Wesleyan University

    Spring 2021:

    At Cheshire C.I.

     

    At York C.I.

    • Peter Gottschalk, Professor of Religion, Wesleyan University
    • Laura Grabel, Lauren B. Dachs Professor of Science and Society, Director of Jazz Ensemble, Wesleyan University
    • William Arsenio, Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Research Training, Yeshiva University
    • Liz Fox, University of Massachusetts Amherst

    Spring 2020:

    At Cheshire C.I.

     

    At York C.I.

    • Peter Gottschalk, Professor of Religion, Wesleyan University
    • Tad Lincoln, Professor, Economics and Political Science, Middlesex Community College
    • Sarah Mahurin, Dean of Timothy Dwight College, Yale University

    Fall 2019:

    At Cheshire C.I.

     

    At York C.I.

    • Christopher Hammond, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Connecticut College
    • William Arsenio, Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Research Training, Yeshiva University
    • Liz Fox, University of Massachusetts Amherst

    Summer 2019:

    At Cheshire C.I.

    • Sean McCann, Professor of English, Wesleyan University
    • Christine Witkowski, Assistant Professor for Middlesex Community College

     

    At York C.I.

    Spring 2019:

    At Cheshire C.I.

    • Andy Szegedy-Maszak, Jane A. Seney Professor of Greek, Wesleyan University
    • Matthew Garrett, Associate Professor of English, Wesleyan University
    • John Shafer, Professor & Program Coordinator of Communication & Digital Media Production, Middlesex Community College
    • Peter Rutland, Colin and Nancy Campbell Professor in Global Issues and Democratic Thought, Wesleyan University
    • Pamela Frost, Professor of Mathematics, Middlesex Community College

     

    At York C.I.

    • Christopher Hammond, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Connecticut College
    • Lori Gruen, William Griffin Professor of Philosophy, Wesleyan University
    • Laura Grabel, Lauren B. Dachs Professor of Science and Society, Director of Jazz Ensemble, Wesleyan University
    • Tad Lincoln, Professor, Economics and Political Science, Middlesex Community College

    Fall 2018:

    At Cheshire C.I.

    • Eric Charry, Professor of Music, Wesleyan University
    • Priscilla Meyer, Professor of Russian Language and Literature, Wesleyan University
    • Tushar Irani, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Welseyan University
    • Bob Reutenauer, Instructor of History, Middlesex Community College
    • Pamela Frost, Professor of Mathematics, Middlesex Community College

     

    At York C.I.

    Spring 2018:

    At Cheshire C.I.

    • Kari Weil, University Professor of Environmental Studies, Wesleyan University
    • Suzanne O'Connell, Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Wesleyan University
    • Tony Hatch, Associate Professor of Sociology, Wesleyan University 
    • Eirene Visvardi, Associate Professor of Classical Studies, Wesleyan University
    • Ellen Kramer, Instructor of Computer Information Technology, Middlesex Community College

    At York C.I.

    • Peter Gottschalk, Professor of Religion, Wesleyan University
    • Justin Good, Instructor of Philosophy, Middlesex Community College
    • Riana Cornelius, Instructor of English, Middlesex Community College

    Fall 2017:

    At Cheshire C.I.

    • Cheryl Greenberg, Distinguished Professor of History, Trinity College
    • Beth Richards, Assistant Professor, University of Hartford
    • Elizabeth Bobrick, Visiting Scholar, Welseyan University
    • Noah Baerman, Director of Jazz Ensemble, Wesleyan University
    • Lori Gruen, Professor of Philosophy, Wesleyan University

    At York C.I.


    Spring 2017:

    At Cheshire C.I.

    • Ulrich Plass, Professor of German Studies, Wesleyan University
    • Matthew Garrett, Associate Professor of English, Wesleyan University
    • Eric Charry, Professor of Music, Wesleyan University 
    • Cameron Bishop, Visiting Instructor in Mathematics, Wesleyan University
    • John Shafer, Professor of Communication, Middlesex Community College

    At York C.I.

    • Laura Grabel, Professor of Biology, Wesleyan University
    • Louis Sapia, Associate Professor of Computer Information Technology, Middlesex Community College

    Fall 2016:

    At Cheshire C.I.

    • Gloster B. Aaron, Associate Professor of Biology, Wesleyan University
    • Michael McAlear, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Wesleyan University
    • Guilio Gallarotti, Professor of Government, Welseyan University
    • Melissa Katz, Luther Gregg Sullivan Fellow in Art History, Wesleyan University
    • Cameron Bishop, Visiting Instructor in Mathematics, Wesleyan University

    At York C.I.


    Spring 2016:

    At Cheshire C.I.

    • Lori Gruen, Professor of Philosophy, Wesleyan University
    • Elizabeth Bobrick, Visiting Professor of Classical Studies, Wesleyan University
    • Brenda Carter, Visiting Scholar of American Studies, Brown University 
    • Cheryl Greenberg, Professor of History, Trinity College
    • Helen Mills Poulos, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, Wesleyan University
    • Cameron Bishop, Visiting Instructor in Mathematics, Wesleyan University

    At York C.I.
    • Kim Cunningham, Professor of Sociology, Wesleyan University
    • Christopher Hammond, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Connecticut College

    Fall 2015:

    At Cheshire C.I.


    At York C.I.


    Spring 2015:

    At Cheshire C.I.

    • Helen Poulos, Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow of Enviornmental Studies, Wesleyan University
    • Brenda Carter, Visiting Faculty, Brown University
    • Caleb Smith, Professor of English and American Studies, Yale University
    • Cameron Bishop, Visiting Instructor in Mathematics, Wesleyan University

    At York C.I.

    • Sean McCann, Professor of English, Wesleyan University
    • Margot Weiss, Associate Professor of American Studies and Anthropology, Wesleyan University

    Fall 2014:

    At Cheshire C.I.


    At York C.I.


    Spring 2014:

    At Cheshire C.I.

    • Constance Leidy, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Wesleyan University
    • Lori Gruen, Professor of Philosophy, Wesleyan University
    • Sarah Mahurin, Visiting Assistant Professor of English, Wesleyan University
    • Helen Mills Poulos, Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow of Enviornmental Studies, Wesleyan University
    • Craig Plunges, Graduate Visiting Fellow of English, Harvard University

    At York C.I.

    • Craig Wiernik, Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology, Quinnipiac University
    • Stewart Gillmor, Professor of History and Science, Emeritus, Wesleyan University

    Fall 2013:

    At Cheshire C.I.


    At York C.I.

    • Guilio Gallarotti, Professor of Government, Welseyan University
    • Michael McAlear, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Wesleyan University

    Spring 2013:

    At Cheshire C.I.


    At York C.I.

    • Beth Richards, Director of Rhetoric and Professional Writing, University of Hartford
    • Elise Springer, Associate Professor of Philosophy

    Fall 2012:

    • Michael McAlear, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Wesleyan University
    • Deb Unferth, Associate Professor of English
    • Gretchen Pfeil, PhD Candidate in Anthropolgy, University of Chicago
    • Abbey Bourdon, PhD Candidate in Mathematics, Wesleyan University

    Spring 2012:


    Fall 2011:

    • Priscilla Meyer, Professor of Russian Language and Literature
    • Michael Keane, Professor of Mathematics
    • Beth Richards, Director of Rhetoric and Professional Writing, University of Hartford
    • Christopher Anderson, Professor of Political Science, University of Hartford

    Spring 2011:


    Fall 2010:

     

    Spring 2010:

    • Michael McAlear, Associate Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
    • Melanye Price, Professor of Political Science, Rutgers University

     

    Fall 2009:

    • Beth Richards, Director of Rhetoric and Professional Writing, University of Hartford
    • Charles Lemert, Professor of Sociology, Emeritus

  • Staff

    Current CPE Staff

    victoria-headshotTess Wheelwright, Director

    Tess joins the Center for Prison Education as its first director in time for fall 2023, honored with the charge to build on the Center's history of expanding access to bold and rigorous liberal learning. Previously, Tess was deputy director of Freedom Reads, a New Haven-based organization launched in 2020 (by honorary Wesleyan Doctor of Letters Reginald Dwayne Betts) to open its signature Freedom Library in prison dorms and housing units across the country. Before that, Tess was associate director for the Cornell Prison Education Program, for which she also taught English and writing courses. Tess holds an MFA from Cornell University, an MSc from the University of Edinburgh, and a BA in Literature from Yale University. 

     

    victoria-headshot

    Victoria Justice, Operations Coordinator 

    Victoria joined the Center for Prison Education as Program Coordinator in August 2020. She comes to CPE with experience in higher education administration, course instruction, and student support. Through various organizations, she has worked   closely with incarcerated students, first generation students, and under- and undocumented students. Victoria most recently served as the Second Chance Pell Site Coordinator for Glenville State College in West Virginia. Victoria holds a B.A. and M.A. in Political Science from Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA.

     

    shirley-website.jpgShirley Sullivan, Program Coordinator, Cheshire CI

    Shirley joined CPE upon graduating from Wesleyan University in 2021, where she majored in Dance and Psychology with a minor in Education Studies. In the summer before her sophomore year, Shirley interned with CONTRA-TIEMPO, an activist dance theater company as part of her Dancelink Fellowship. At the end of her undergrad education, Shirley completed a capstone project where she worked with previously incarcerated individuals to create a dance performance in which their experiences were transformed into movement.

  • Volunteers

    Undergraduate volunteers are an integral part of our team. We engage Wesleyan main-campus students as Writing Tutors, Teaching Assistants, and Interns at both Cheshire and York CI.

  • Faculty Advisory Committee

    The Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC), which has both Wesleyan and Middlesex Community College faculty representation, oversees the curriculum for the CPE program and approves all courses taught in the program. FAC members also serve on the admissions committee for prospective CPE students.

     

    Current Faculty Committee
    • Kerwin Kaye (Chair of CPE FAC), Associate Professor of Sociology; Associate Professor of American Studies; Associate Professor of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 
    • Joseph Coolon, Associate Professor of Biology, Associate Professor of Integrative Sciences
    • Tushar Irani, Chair and Associate Professor of Letters, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Associate Professor of Education Studies
    • Constance Leidy, Associate Professor of Mathematics
    • Victoria Pitts-Taylor, Chair and Professor of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Professor of Science in Society; Professor of Sociology
    • Ulrich Plass, Chair and Professor of German Studies, Professor of Letters
    • John Shafer, Professor and Program Coordinator for Communication and Digital Media Production, and Program Coordinator of Theater Studies

  • Advisory Board

    Our Advisory Board has the task of envisioning the future of the CPE, collectively engaging the complex and emerging issues of a small and ambitious initiative. It considers the scope and character of program growth and evaluates opportunities for collaboration with other programs, institutions and state agencies. Current Advisory Board