The University of Utah Prison Education Project (UPEP) seeks a Director who will lead its mission of educational equity by providing exceptional postsecondary opportunities to incarcerated youth and adults in the state of Utah. UPEP is a multidisciplinary effort providing on-site college curriculum and programming to students incarcerated at the Utah State Prison in Draper.

As of 2022, UPEP is administratively housed in the Office of Undergraduate Studies as part of the Access and Community Engagement team. UPEP joins the Office of Engagement, the Bennion Center, and Ute Tribe Outreach partnership as part of a robust approach to engaging communities. The new director will work to advance this part the broader mission of Undergraduate Studies and, in addition to UPEP, will direct two science-based in-custody programs: Project STEMCAP and INSPIRE. 

Qualifications and Experiences 

The next director will bring many of the following qualifications, professional experiences, and personal attributes: 

• A demonstrated commitment to educational equity and a clear and sophisticated understanding of the relationships among poverty, racism, incarceration, disability, and access to quality education in the United States 
• The ability to articulate, build, and lead the discourse around the responsibilities of public higher education in serving communities 
• Evidence of successful fundraising and budgeting for a similarly complex organization with advanced familiarity and success in grant cycle processes 
• Experience with and ability to translate the work of higher education in prison to various stakeholders, including those in higher education, the community, public officials, departments of corrections, and others
• Experience with successfully overseeing and managing a diverse group of people, including providing leadership and mentorship for students 
• Advanced familiarity and experience with how prisons bureaucratically function 
• Excellent attention to detail and timelines, and collaborating with multiple units 
• A bachelor’s degree ‍

Salary and Benefits 

• ‍‍Salary is $70,000/year plus a competitive benefit package. 
• This salary includes a base of $60,000 and $10,000 from a state contract. This contract ends FY2024, and there are opportunities for renewal. 

Questions about the position can be directed to Erin L. Castro, PhD: erin.castro@utah.edu.