Bard Prison Initiative
Faculty, Bard Prison Initiative
Apply Here: https://apply.interfolio.com/46163About BPI
The Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) works to redefine the availability, affordability, and expectations typically associated with higher education in the United States. Established in 2001, BPI has more than 300 students across seven New York correctional facilities, where they enroll full-time in liberal arts coursework representative of the four academic divisions of the college—The Arts; Languages and Literature; Social Studies; and Science, Mathematics, and Computing. In 2025, BPI also launched a two-year graduate program in public humanities expanding academic opportunities further.
BPI students engage with the college full-time, embarking on an ambitious course of study that matches the breadth and intensity of any undergraduate or graduate learning experience. Our educational program transforms the negative impacts of criminal punishment and creates radical inroads of access and opportunity to higher learning. More information about BPI is offered at https://bpi.bard.edu/
Description of Position
BPI offers small, seminar-style courses taught in person at the same standard of academic rigor as on the main campus. We seek faculty who excel in discussion-heavy courses that demand active participation of all students. Faculty are hired on a per-course basis; there are no full-time or tenure-track positions available. Compensation depends on the type of course and frequency of class meetings. Candidates interested in full-time administrative positions that include teaching should check BPI postings listed under "Administrative Positions.”
Please note that the prison is a location of BPI courses rather than the subject matter of our courses, which reflect the breadth of liberal arts education on the main campus of Bard College. This position does not include an opportunity to conduct research within the prisons or to approach students as research subjects.
Following an academic semester calendar, each course meets once or twice a week for fifteen weeks during the fall or spring semester, or for a shorter term over the summer. Classes are held Monday through Friday in prison classrooms, and class periods are two hours.
Faculty are responsible for their own transportation to and from the facilities where they teach. Two of the seven prisons where BPI operates are accessible by MetroNorth, with a short taxi ride to the prison:
- Taconic Correctional Facility in Bedford Hills
- Fishkill Correctional Facility in Beacon
- Albion Correctional Facility in Albion
- Coxsackie Correctional Facility in Coxsackie
- Eastern NY Correctional Facility in Napanoch
- Green Haven Correctional Facility in Stormville
- Woodbourne Correctional Facility in Woodbourne
https://bpi.bard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/BPI_CampusMap_04.png
Qualifications
For most but not all subject areas, a Ph.D. or other applicable terminal degree is required (PhD candidates that are ABD may be hired in certain circumstances). Applicants must have college teaching experience in their field of expertise, and ideally a record of teaching success.
Compensation: $5,000 for Language & Thinking and Citizen Science workshops
$8,000 for standard semester-long courses
$9,000 for First-Year Seminar and Writing Intensive courses
This salary range reflects the College's good faith and reasonable estimate of the compensation for the position at the time of the job posting. Salary decisions are dependent on several factors including but not limited to market and organizational considerations, experience, and qualifications of a selected candidate as well as internal and external equity.
To Apply
Faculty interested in teaching for BPI can apply by submitting a CV with a current email address and a brief letter of interest that should include a list of courses taught, an indication of which prisons are within commuting distance, and a note about which semester or semesters you are available through Interfolio.com at: http://apply.interfolio.com/46163
Review of applications is ongoing, as course needs vary from semester to semester. The BPI administration will contact applicants when there is an opening that matches their subject area and availability.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Bard College is an equal opportunity employer and we welcome applications from those who contribute to the diversity of our faculty. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, mental, or physical disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, familial status, veteran status, or genetic information. Bard is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for all individuals in employment practices, services, programs, and activities.
AA/EOE