EMU First in Michigan to Provide Incarcerated Students with Platform to Present Research Projects

Eastern Michigan University is making history as the first university in Michigan to provide incarcerated students with a platform to present research projects at the university’s 45th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium beginning at 9 a.m. on Friday, March 28, inside EMU’s Student Center, 900 Oakwood St. in Ypsilanti. The event will feature a range of student-led presentations, covering topics such as improvisation in education, the impact of poetry, and dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline, among others, from 12 incarcerated students enrolled in EMU’s College in Prison program at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility. 

Their research will be showcased through pre-recorded presentations, with faculty sponsors introducing each speaker. The final presentation will be delivered in person by a student who began college while incarcerated and is now completing her degree on EMU’s main campus after her release.

“This opportunity is monumental for our students and a reflection of the commitment EMU has made to providing equitable access to higher education,” said Meghan Lechner, director of the College in Prison program. “These presentations not only highlight our students’ incredible work and resilience but also challenge perceptions about higher education and incarceration.”

EMU’s College in Prison program serves 50 incarcerated students at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti. The program offers in-person instruction from EMU faculty, mirroring the same expectations and curriculum as courses taught on the University’s main campus. Through this initiative, EMU empowers incarcerated students to engage in academic research, contribute to scholarly discourse, and develop skills that will support them beyond prison.

“Our participation in the Undergraduate Research Symposium gives us a voice and allows us to demonstrate that our ideas and contributions matter,” said CiP student Jacara Moore. “Although I am incarcerated, I feel liberated. I hope the audience walks away with a deeper understanding of the power of improvisation and how it can enhance real-life experiences in meaningful ways.”

For more information about the College in Prison program and the symposium, visit the website.