It started with a class. In spring 2026, 17 students enrolled in Introduction to Creative Writing through Grand Valley State University's Bellamy Creek Program. By the end of the course, the writing that the students produced, and the process of getting there, prompted a new question for faculty in GVSU's Writing Department: What if there were a way to create that kind of space for people at Bellamy Creek who were not currently enrolled in the university's program? That quest

For years, commencement at Lake Superior State University was a familiar tradition for Marc Boucher, Director of Library & Academic Services. But this year, as he watched 15 students cross the stage to receive their associate degrees through LSSU’s STEP UP program, the ceremony carried a different kind of weight. “This is by far the most powerful and meaningful commencement I have been to,” Boucher said. The graduates were members of STEP UP’s inaugural cohort, which began ta

For too long, prison has been viewed as the end of someone’s story. Across Michigan, 12 colleges and universities are proving something different: prison can be the place where a new chapter begins. Today, more than 1,300 incarcerated students are pursuing college degrees through Michigan’s higher education in prison programs. They are studying business, theology, social work, liberal arts, and other disciplines with the same academic expectations as students on any college c

Ascendium Education Group grant will strengthen statewide collaboration, student supports, and program capacity Lansing, Mich. – August 31, 2026 – The Michigan Consortium for Higher Education in Prison (MiCHEP) has received a $2.6 million investment from Ascendium Education Group to expand and strengthen higher education opportunities for incarcerated students across Michigan. The three-year grant will support MiCHEP’s growth from a coordinating consortium into a statewide su

A college degree can be a milestone. It can also become a foundation for leadership, advocacy, and community change. Jacara Moore graduated from Eastern Michigan University’s College in Prison Program in 2025 as a member of the inaugural cohort at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility. She earned her Bachelor of General Studies degree with a 4.0 GPA, founded the EMU Business Club at WHV, and won EMU’s first annual Business Pitch Competition. After completing her certific