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Zelda Roland, Ph.D., the founding director of the University of New Haven’s Prison Education Program and , has been instrumental in expanding educational opportunities for incarcerated individuals. When the partnership began in 2021, it opened new avenues for students to pursue a degree while incarcerated and to continue their education after release.

This collaboration, originally supported by a $1.5 million grant from the Mellon Foundation, recently received a new three-year, $1.2 million renewal grant from the foundation that will help significantly expand the program’s reach. “We realized there was so much we could do together that we couldn’t do separately,” Dr. Roland shared.

As of this semester, more than 500 course enrollments have been offered to 70 students. “The University of New Haven’s commitment has been vital,” Dr. Roland emphasized. “Together, we’re creating pathways for students to redefine their futures, even while incarcerated.”

Roland has spearheaded significant growth in the program over the last three years. In 2022, it expanded to the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, offering courses to incarcerated women. The program also increased its liberal arts course offerings, ranging from a year-long chemistry curriculum to poetry and graphic design.

The renewed grant ensures continued expansion, allowing for more classes and increased student support services. Dr. Roland emphasizes that the funding has allowed the program to grow from just four classes a year to more than 40.

“We knew the incredible need for liberal arts college programs,” she explained, “because the students were so successful in these classes, we saw right away that their potential was unmet.”

One of the program’s most significant milestones came in 2023, with its first Associate of Arts (AA) degree-conferring graduation, followed by the initial Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees being presented in 2024— the first such ceremony to take place in a Connecticut correctional facility.

Reflecting on the Commencement ceremonies, Dr. Roland shared, “Both of our recent graduations were transformative and special moments for all of us.”

YPEI also supports students upon release, offering a fellowship program in which alumni receive a full-time salary and professional development opportunities at either of the universities’ campus.

Looking ahead, Dr. Roland hopes to expand the reentry programming that helps individuals transition back to their communities after being incarcerated, including new fellowships and scholarships. “We’d like to provide opportunities for students who are coming home and who want to continue with the trajectory this program has started them on,” she notes.

The program’s success is reflected in its 100% retention rate – no student who remains in the facility has voluntarily left the program. It is a competitive admissions process, and the students who are admitted are deeply committed to their education.

“We have students, who are released, who continue their education on campus or elsewhere,” says Dr. Roland, highlighting the program’s enduring influence on students’ lives and their futures.

Despite challenges, including limited access to technology, the program and its participants thrive. The introduction of offline access to JSTOR, a digital library of academic journals, books and primary sources, and the partnership between Yale’s and the University of New Haven’s libraries demonstrate creative solutions to support and enrich student success.

“One of the things I love the most,” says Dr. Roland, “is when a student discovers a skill or a passion that follows them beyond release, that helps them discover careers that had never been available to them before.”

The program’s enduring influence extends beyond the students to their families. This generational impact is one of the most profound outcomes.

“We hear from students with long sentences that their participation in college has inspired their kids to continue their own education,” Dr. Roland explains. “It impacts their families in tremendous ways – both for students who remain inside and those on the outside.”

As the University of New Haven’s Prison Education Program moves forward, Dr. Roland is optimistic. The partnership between the University of New Haven and Yale is a testament to the power of education to transform lives, and with continued support, it will continue to do so for years to come.

Reflecting on the program’s journey, Dr. Roland concludes, “We’re helping them succeed in so many ways, not just offering them access to classes.”

About The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation’s largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at

About the University of New Haven

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Founded on the Yale campus in 1920, the University of New Haven is a private, coeducational university of more than 9,000 students from across the globe that has been recognized by  The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report for academic excellence. The university is led by Jens Frederiksen, Ph.D., an innovative higher education leader who was named the seventh president on March 1, 2024.

At the University of New Haven, we believe we have the power to change the world. Across our five academic colleges and schools, the university offers nearly 200 programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, including more than 55 STEM-designated programs and 50 dual-degree and accelerated programs.

In addition to its West Haven location, the university has campuses in Orange, Conn., and Tuscany, Italy, and access to hundreds of study abroad programs.