JIE SCHOLARS PROGRAM.
Increasing educational opportunities
The Justice-in-Education (JIE) Scholars Program helps highly motivated returning citizens take credit-bearing courses at Columbia University free of charge.
How the JIE Scholars Program works
Each spring, after a competitive admissions process and several onboarding sessions, the Justice-in-Education Initiative welcomes a new cohort of formerly incarcerated people to Columbia’s main campus to take credit-bearing coursework. JIE Scholars are enrolled as non-matriculated students in University Writing, a skills-intensive writing seminar, which fosters students’ capacities for critical analysis, argumentation, revision, and research at the university level. University Writing is a required course for all Columbia undergraduates, and each JIE cohort takes the class alongside matriculated students from the Columbia University School of General Studies. The program covers tuition and fees, local travel to class, books, and other associated costs of participation in University Writing.
JIE Scholars who earn a grade of B+ or above in University Writing are eligible to continue in Columbia coursework. In dialogue with the JIE Academic Advisor, each Scholar selects one course per term to take free of charge. Credits students accrue at Columbia are transferable to any undergraduate degree program. Some JIE Scholars apply and are accepted to the Columbia University School of General Studies; others pursue completion of their college degrees elsewhere.
Throughout their time in the program, all JIE Scholars receive academic advising and tutoring. While JIE Scholars is an academic, not re-entry, program, it does offer re-entry support, especially with regard to housing, health, parole, and other issues that might affect Scholars’ ability to complete their coursework successfully. The JIE Scholars Program also collaborates with the Initiative for a Just Society to provide legal consultations when necessary.
To learn more about the JIE Scholars Program, please contact JIE Academic Adviser Neni Panourgía (np255@columbia.edu) or Audrey Amsellem (aa3348@columbia.edu).
How the JIE Scholars Program works
Upon successfully completing the admissions process, Justice-in-Education (JIE) Scholars are enrolled as special students in the School of Professional Studies at Columbia University. They are required to complete two gateway courses: the skills-intensive credit-bearing course Genres of Academic Writing (open to all Columbia undergraduates) and the non-credit-bearing modules in Transitioning to the College Classroom – Learning Strategies for Academic Success, designed as an introduction to the specific educational environment of Columbia.
Those earning a grade of B+ or above in Genres of Academic are eligible to continue to take Columbia courses free of charge. Credits earned at Columbia may be transferred to other colleges and universities, should JIE Scholars wish to pursue completion of their college degrees at other institutions.
JIE Scholars receive advising and tutoring support, as well as the opportunity to interact with peer mentors and be mentored by Columbia Emeriti faculty. We provide re-entry support and advising, especially with regard to housing, health, parole, and other issues that might affect a scholar’s ability to complete their courses successfully.
The JIE Scholars Program collaborates with the Initiative for a Just Society to provide legal consultations when necessary. The team comprises Bernard Harcourt, Fonda Shen, and William Oh.
