SUNY Chancellor King Announces Post-Release Fellowship to Support Higher Education in Prison Alumni to Achieve Success
December 12, 2025
SUNY's New Teaching it Forward Program Helps Formerly Incarcerated Graduates Transition to Careers with Professional and Workforce Development Support
Brings Organizations Together to Provide Paid Opportunities for Fellows Each Semester
Albany, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today announced the expansion of SUNY's Higher Education in Prison Program through a new post-release fellowship, the Teaching Forward Fellowship Program. The program offers individuals with lived experience of incarceration paid opportunities to gain professional experience and develop essential skills for long-term career success.
During the Fall 2025 semester, SUNY's Office of Higher Education in Prison (OHEP) partnered with the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) and Teach For America New York to provide nine formerly incarcerated individuals with associate degrees paid opportunities with select host sites to build skills, experience, and confidence for long-term success in the workforce. In Spring 2026, OHEP plans to introduce additional partners to further expand the fellowship program to additional formerly incarcerated individuals in other regions of New York State.
"Access to higher education and career development is critical to increasing economic opportunity and advancing upward mobility for all New Yorkers," SUNY Chancellor King said. "SUNY is dedicated to ensuring formerly incarcerated individuals have access to the tools they need to succeed throughout their transition into their communities. Congratulations to the fellows chosen to participate in this year's program, which will help empower them as they seek to build their futures and strengthen their communities."
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, "Thanks to our strong partnerships, SUNY is able to provide opportunities for more New Yorkers who have experienced incarceration to succeed in their education and careers. The Teaching Forward Fellowship Program will play a key role in supporting formerly incarcerated individuals as they build skills the skills they need to succeed in their future careers."
SUNY, through OHEP, is the largest provider of higher education prison programs in New York State, with 16 campuses currently offering SUNY degrees in 24 state prisons, six juvenile facilities, and one federal facility. OHEP has also led in developing and expanding programming to assist formerly incarcerated individuals during the transition to post-release employment. OHEP plans to expand the fellowship program to include additional formerly incarcerated individuals throughout New York State during the Spring 2026 semester. Applications for the Spring 2026 cohort are now open to formerly incarcerated individuals in New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, and the Capital District.
The Teaching Forward Fellowship builds on SUNY's mission of educational equity for incarcerated New Yorkers, and works to achieve fair and inclusive access to high-quality higher education programs for incarcerated individuals during their incarceration and upon release into the community. OHEP partnered with host sites including DYCD providers Good Shepherd Services, and The Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES), along with College and Community Fellowship, LaGuardia Community College, and The Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services, with plans to expand to include more host sites in Spring 2026.
Through the program, the participating fellows receive:
- Work placements: Fellows complete 300 paid hours at selected host sites, gaining real world experience in a professional setting;
- Pre-employment training and professional development support: Participants receive job-readiness training, helping them build essential employment skills and expand their professional networks;
- Community networking: Fellows receive ongoing guidance and community engagement opportunities, encouraging continued growth and connection among program alumni;
- Employer support: Employment partners have access to resources on Fair Chance hiring, and gain strategies for supporting justice-impacted employees in the workplace.
Fellows also receive professional development training, networking opportunities, and support from the OHEP, including financial literacy courses through Beyond Savvy Consumers. The SUNY Teaching Forward Fellowship Program is the latest form of alumni and re-entry support developed by the OHEP. Funding for the fellowship program was provided by the Summerfield Foundation and CD&R.
Since 2017, the SUNY Office of Higher Education in Prison has led the SUNY System Administration's efforts to expand and improve college opportunities for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, guided by longitudinal data collection and data analysis. For more information on SUNY OHEP, visit: https://www.suny.edu/impact/education/hep/.
New York City Department of Youth and Community Development Commissioner Keith Howard said, "Mayor Adams has stated, ‘if we don't educate, we incarcerate.' Our mission was very clear: eliminate the prison pipeline by any means necessary. Thanks to the Teaching Forward Fellowship Program, nine formerly incarcerated New Yorkers gained valuable work experience in government and community relations, peer navigation, classroom teaching, and advocacy—and four fellows already have jobs. DYCD is proud to partner with SUNY's Office of Higher Education in Prison, Teach for America New York, and our outstanding providers Good Shepherd Services and the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES), to give these deserving fellows a second chance in life. We are excited to welcome additional host sites this spring, and to provide even more participants with jobs and career skills for a fresh path forward."
Solomon E. Summerfield Foundation Senior Director of Grantmaking Laurel Dumont said, "SUNY's Office for Higher Education in Prison is opening new doors and transforming pathways of opportunity for people impacted by the criminal justice system through a multitude of groundbreaking and innovative initiatives. Congratulations to the pioneers of this program — the staff and participants — for blazing a trail that hopefully many others will follow."
Center for Alternative Sentences and Employment Services People and Culture Business Partner Christina Valdes Rivera said, "The Teaching Forward Fellowship is where access creates opportunities for people to pursue their dreams and build careers they are passionate about. As a host site we had the pleasure to be part of this process and experience the benefits of our fellows' expertise."
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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