Deb Conrad, Prison Education & Apprenticeship program director, represented Western Nevada College on a panel at the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities' annual conference in Seattle, Wash., on Nov. 9.

Conrad joined Dr. Gita Bangera, senior vice president of NWCCU; Michael Cagle, acting director, Policy Innovation and Dissemination Group, U.S. Department of Education; and Dr. Belinda Wheeler, senior program manager, Vera Institute of Justice, to discuss the Transformational Impact of Higher Education in Prisons.

The panelists highlighted developments over the last year in terms of the reinstatement of Pell grants for incarcerated or confined individuals and the process by which an institution can become approved to offer Pell to incarcerated students. Conrad gave insights into the challenges and successes of WNC's Higher Education in Prison Program and shared a video highlighting one student's thoughts on and experiences in the program.