Three Graduates Share “Education Inside” Bedford Hills College Program: MMC Community Learn About Accomplishments, Obstacles

(New York, NY) Three Marymount Manhattan College graduates of the Bedford Hills College Program shared insights about the experience of women in prison seeking higher education at “Education Inside” on November 20 at the College. Nora Moran, Iris Bowen and Cheryl Wilkins discussed their involvement in reestablishing and maintaining a college program at Bedford Hills and about their experiences acquiring a degree while incarcerated. Now that they are on the outside, all three women are committing their academic pursuits and careers to social service. 


Cheryl Wilkins 

Assistant Professor of sociology Michelle Ronda and students enrolled in her fall 2008 Criminology course organized the special event. Ronda and students in her course have been collaborating with the College and Community Fellowship (CCF), a nonprofit organization in New York City which provides support and services to women released from prison. Among other things, CCF helps women who have started their degree to complete it upon release, and it helps women transition to life outside of prison. Marymount Manhattan students are writing articles about justice, economics and other topics to be included in an upcoming CCF newsletter. Students have also visited the CCF to get a first-hand account of the work they do for the community. Professor Ronda introduced Ricardo Martinez, a Program Associate at the CCF, who has been the point of contact for her criminology class. To read more about the College and Community Fellowship, click here


Nora Moran 

Professor Ronda welcomed guests and shared some statistics about incarceration across the United States. With one in 100 adults incarcerated and $49 billion spent on corrections in 2007, the United States incarcerates more people than any other country. However, Professor Ronda pointed out that higher education significantly decreases social harms as well as recidivism rates. Cindy Mercer, executive director for Academic Achievement and Academic Advancement, observed how recognition and interest in the Bedford Hills College Program has grown at Marymount Manhattan, as seen by the full audience. Kaitlin Luongo ’09, president of the BHCP Club, discussed the purpose of the club, which is to bridge both campuses and introduced the three panelists. 


Iris Bowen 

Wilkins, Bowen and Moran explained the experience of gaining a college education in prison and managing without internet access and minimal library resources. They discussed preparing for college coursework by educating one another about classroom etiquette and engaging in college preparation to bridge the gap between acquiring a G.E.D. and attending college. Women enrolled in the BHCP have developed a strong network of support for one another, by keeping tabs on one another’s progress and challenging fellow students in the program. Students enrolled in the BHCP serve as role models for other inmates and as proof that it is possible to acquire a higher education while incarcerated. 

In addition to being former students, Wilkins and Bowen are also two of the founding members and pioneers of the Bedford Hills College Program. Wilkins earned her bachelor’s degree from Marymount Manhattan College and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Urban Policy at Hunter College. She is motivated by policy as a method of effecting social change. She also works at the CCF to support women who have recently been release from prison. Bowen noted that the College program gave a sense of hope for those in prison. She has earned her associate’s degree and will return to school for her bachelor’s. She currently works for the Fortune Society, a nonprofit organization which helps at-risk, incarcerated and formerly incarcerated men and women so that they can contribute positively to society. 

Nora Moran graduated summa cum laude from Marymount Manhattan College in June 2006. Nora now has a full-time job at Puppies Behind Bars, a nonprofit organization that trains inmates to raise puppies to become service dogs for the disabled and explosive detection canines for law enforcement. She will pursue a master’s in social work in fall 2009. Moran discussed how college helped her examine herself and how to heal and realize her full potential. “I looked to my professors,” said Moran. “I drank in what they offered, the theory and the ideas. Thinking critically helped me observe a world outside myself.” 

The three women spoke for a full audience who asked a series of questions following the talk. Moran, Bowen and Wilkins and the students, faculty and staff who attended expressed gratitude towards one another for sharing their experience and engaging in conversation. 

Through the Bedford Hills College Program, MMC offers college and college-preparatory coursework to inmates at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, a New York State maximum-security prison for women. The BHCP consists of non-credit and credit-bearing courses, awarding Associate of Arts degrees in Social Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Sociology. In 1997, Marymount Manhattan College became the program’s degree granting institution as part of a unique consortium of colleges that supports BHCP.

Published: December 12, 2008