Background

Inside Out (IO) is an international prison education exchange program that was founded at Temple University in 1997, and has established a worldwide network of institutions of higher education and correctional facilities. Inside Out brings together incarcerated (Inside) and non-incarcerated (Outside) students for engaged and informed dialogue, allowing for transformative learning experiences that invite participants to take leadership through collaboration, critical thinking, and experiential learning. The Inside Out pedagogy and methodology create these collaborative, creative contexts. The Inside Out praxis is grounded in the belief that our society is strengthened when higher education/learning is made widely accessible and, at the same time, when it allows participants to encounter each other as equals, often across profound social barriers.

The Inside Out Prison Education Exchange boasts programs in 49 U.S. states and more than 15 countries. There are more than 150 institutions of higher education and 200 correctional institutions participating in Inside Out. To date, over 65,000 people have participated in Inside Out globally.

Inside Out Collaboration between WWC & WCCW

The Inside Out collaboration between WWC and WCCW began in 2016 through the vision of founding director, Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad. With funding from the Laughing Gull Foundation, Warren Wilson College entered into an MOU with the North Carolina Department of Corrections to offer 8 credits per semester for both Inside and Outside students learning together in a classroom at WCCW. The College secured two cycles of grants from Laughing Gull, 2016 - 2024. Dr. Lucy Lawrence became the program director in July 2021.

WWC is the first Inside Out program in the state of North Carolina. WCCW is also the only minimum custody women’s facility in NC and the only women’s facility in the western part of the state. Following the principle of equity that guides WWC’s Inside Out program, incarcerated (i.e., “inside”) students earn college credits for courses successfully completed and receive a WWC transcript, which is not always the case in other Inside Out programs.

Bringing students together across profound differences for collaborative learning, the WWC Inside Out program centers access, equity, social justice and change, and dialogue. Each IO course critically examines systemic bias and prejudice within the academic disciplines, with attention to historical patterns and current directions in anti-racism theoretical perspectives and practices. Course topics directly challenge paradigms of racism, oppression, and exclusion while offering evidence-based alternatives that promote equity and justice. Experiential class activities to deepen student empathy for others and develop critical awareness of intersectional identities. 

The WWC Inside Out program creates universal access classrooms that fosters fairness among IO students. Wraparound services contribute to students’ success in the program. Since the program’s inception in 2016, 100% of Inside students have earned a C or higher in their WWC course, and 50% of Inside students have earned grades qualifying for the Dean’s List. Equity in access emphasizes: 

• Internet Access.  WCCW does not have internet access in classrooms, therefore courses are designed to enable participation and work for all students. For example, all Inside Out students submit printed or handwritten assignments (not the Moodle LMS used in traditional WWC classroom settings).

• Academic Support. Students at WCCW utilize the same academic support services available to students on the WWC campus (e.g., individual writing appointments and tutoring with the Writing Studio Director). The Dean of Academic Engagement meets weekly with students to address such issues as ADA accommodation, study and test strategies, student loan forgiveness, and career planning. Along with professors and WWC staff members, the IO crew, the volunteer Inside tutors, and outside volunteers, we provide 18+ hours of academic support weekly. 

• Library Services. Incarcerated students at WCCW lack internet access. Moreover, the WCCW library is limited and doesn’t include academic sources. Therefore, students are provided with hard copies of all course materials. If research is required, faculty seek approval to conduct library research at the WWC Library from the WCCW program director. If that is granted, faculty use WWC library databases and provide hard copies for Inside students. 

In fall semester 2026, Inside Out is offering two courses: ART 1950 Visual Storytelling with Professor Jessica White; and BUS 1980 Foundations in Finance: Career & Professionalism with Professors J Steffe and Kristen Keane. These courses are full and the application, registration, and orientation processes are closed.

Spring 2027 Course Timeline

In spring semester 2027, there will be 10 seats open for Outside (WWC) students in the each of following 4-credit courses that will take place a Western Correctional Center for Women:

• COM 1410 Media & Society with Professors Beck Banks & Sarah Sgro

How do media and society influence one another to create culture? To explore this dynamic, this course focuses on the history of media, its role in identity, how audiences function, cultural studies and structuralism, and other key concepts and theories. This course centers on race, class, and gender in order to better understand these topics. GE: Oral and Written Communication

• HIS 1910 Global History with Professor Cris Culton

The goal of this course is to survey global history between the 15th and 20th centuries through three lenses. The first lens, entitled history from 10,000 feet will delve into environmental history. From this vaulted height, we will explore large patterns of change over time (disease, climate change, migration, and capitalism). The second lens, entitled history on the stage, will examine the role of individuals in history. This will involve situating the historical camera in the lives of historical actors, synthesizing in the process the fields of history, literature, philosophy and politics. The third lens will be memory, investigating how each of us, in the largest sense of the term, is a historian. GE: Humanities - Historical Analysis

The Spring Semester Inside Out Information Session will be on Monday, October 19 at 5:00 p.m., in Boon Hall. At this session, students will learn about the program, the courses, and the application process. Students will also hear from former Inside Out students about their learning experiences.

In collaboration with prison staff, the coordinating team has developed a selection and orientation process to ensure a successful program. We require Inside & Outside student applicants to complete an application and participate in a 20-minute interview with the coordinating team. We are interested in applicants who have thoughtfully engaged questions about themselves and society.

In addition, "Outside" students must meet the following criteria:

• Be in good standing at the college.

• **Be 19 years old or older by the first day of spring semester, Tuesday, January 17, 2027.

• Participate in two orientations (see below) and undergo a background check through the prison.

• Abide by all prison rules and regulations throughout the duration of the class.

First-time Inside Out students may enroll in a maximum of 4 credit hours. Students who have successfully completed an Inside Out course previously may apply for a maximum of 8 credit hours per semester, as space permits.

Selection Timeline

Spring Semester 2027 Inside Out applications will go live immediately following the information session on October 19. Applicants will be accepted on a rolling basis until Week 10 when Registration begins on November 5. The coordinating team will interview applicants as long as we still have spaces in classes. For best consideration, apply early. Once accepted, students will be notified and required to complete a confirmation of acceptance form to secure their enrollment in the course.

If accepted and enrolled, students are required to attend two mandatory trainings:

1.) Outside Student Orientation on Monday, December 7 at 4:00 p.m. in Boon Hall; and

2.) PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) Training on Monday, December 7 at 6:00 p.m. at Western Correctional Center for Women at 3:00 p.m. We will depart from the front of Boon Hall at 5:30 p.m. and return to campus by 8:00 p.m.. Transportation will be provided. 

Photos: Inside Out End-of-Semester Celebration at WCCW 

What WWC Students Say About Their Inside Out Experience

“Inside Out has been a defining feature of my years at Warren Wilson– the Inside Out program takes the multidisciplinary approach inherent in liberal arts education even further, by incorporating new voices, perspectives, and lived experiences into the conversation of whatever class is offered. The primary flaw of liberal arts education is its proclivity towards exclusivity, excluding those who do not have the means and background to attend an expensive four year institution that does not prepare for a specific vocation. Inside Out is an avenue to address this flaw, inviting in individuals who may not have ever experienced a liberal arts institution otherwise. Inside Out introduces a model where the academic work is the community engagement– they are inextricable from each other, and thus perfectly embody the central philosophy of Warren Wilson. For Warren Wilson students, Inside Out provides the opportunity to escape the ‘echo chamber’ of a very liberal campus composed almost entirely of traditional students. Liberal arts education is intended to be broad and all-encompassing, and so exposure to perspectives and experiences beyond the liberal arts classroom inherently enhances the mission of liberal arts learning. As for my experience specifically, my involvement in the Inside Out program has been one of the most important parts of my whole college experience. My outlook on education, my values, and my advocacy interests are all deeply rooted in my Inside Out courses. Without the Inside Out program, I would have nominally received a liberal arts education, yes, but I would not have absorbed a liberal arts approach to life.” -Grayson Schuck ’25, Social Work Major

“Inside Out opened my eyes to the stories and struggles of incarcerated women - a perspective I would never have gotten in a typical college classroom. The atmosphere of the class was also truly unique - the Inside students were amazing and brought an authenticity and enthusiasm for learning which combined with the open-mindedness of the Outside students resulted in some great discussions and a sense of camaraderie. Overall, I consider the Inside Out course I took one of the most impactful from my time here at Wilson.” -Jasper Schmook ‘26, Environmental Sciences Major

“The discussions that I had with women at the correctional facility impacted my learning by inspiring me. While I have been a student in the Intro to Psychology class within Inside Out, I have also tutored Spanish in Inside Out. I would go to the correctional facility and work with a couple women for an hour on conjugations or numbers or phrases in Spanish. What stood out to me was their volition and eagerness to learn. The questions they asked, the connections they made to their own lives and the commitment they gave inspired me to do the same in my own life. It was my favorite combination of humility and inspiration to realize that these women have much less access to education than I did, yet they had an internal drive that can falter even within a community focused on education. This is the value of learning through experience and beyond the classroom.” -Elena Wheeler ‘26, Social Work & Global Studies Double Major

“The Inside Out program is so unique and special and important–the education, the connections and the human view that you get. It's a bubble here at WWC, there's such a privilege and safety that I also have experienced my entire life. It was really cool to realize how little I knew and how much I got to learn. I took the Inside Out sociology class and I really felt like I was learning something that I couldn't find somewhere else, and I was learning something about myself. I felt like it mattered that I was there.”-Sarah Puterbaugh ‘25, Art Major

Please contact Dr. Lucy Lawrence, Inside Out Program Director, with any questions: [email protected].

For more information, check out the Inside Out FAQ page!