As we find ourselves in the midst of another pandemic-impacted semester, I am relieved to report that overall COVID cases at the prison have dropped. Despite recurring lockdowns and staff shortage-related interruptions at the prison, UPEP programming is going strong; we are engaging coursework in Timpanogos, Promontory, Olympus, Oquirrh, and Uinta.

We hope this newsletter finds you and your loved ones in good health—physical, mental, and spiritual. Here at UPEP, we have continued our work of providing higher education to people incarcerated in Utah State prisons. Amidst racial, economic, and political unrest and a global health pandemic we have recommitted ourselves to ensuring that incarcerated people are central to the conversation of social transformation.

There is so much to be thankful for this holiday season, and what a year it was for UPEP. We launched our first annual book drive in the spring and thanks to you, we were able to start two in-classroom libraries in Draper!

Greetings! Our 2018-2019 academic year is well underway, as are many exciting new and continuing developments. UPEP students, staff, interns, and volunteers continue to work in collaboration to nurture the growth of on-site programming and off-site projects.

The 2018-2019 academic year stands to be a busy and exciting one for UPEP as we build off of the momentum from our first year of on-site programming. Our students are stretching their boundaries in the classroom and we’re making strides to formally expand the organization, too.