Robert Scott, Ph.D. '11 EPOL, was named a Champion of Change by the White House for his work as executive director of the Cornell Prison Education Program (CPEP) at Cornell University. CPEP provides a college-level liberal arts education to qualified incarcerated students in upstate New York prisons and is a response to the challenge of mass incarceration in the United States.
Under Scott's tenure, the program has expanded to three prisons and is serving approximately 200 incarcerated individuals this year. Scott's leadership has led to an increase in collaboration in the field, which has contributed to the formation of a statewide consortium in New York and a national consortium for higher education in prison.
Former students of CPEP have gone on to serve as role models in the community, participating in civic life and finding gainful employment in spite of the myriad challenges that face formerly incarcerated individuals.
Champions of Change stems from President Barack Obama's 21st-century challenge of making the U.S. a leader in education and innovation. Many of those selected as Champions of Change make extraordinary things happen in their communities by expanding opportunities and advancing prevention, treatment, and recovery for the underrepresented in society.
View Scott's bio and the bios of all recent Champions of Change.
