Western Nevada College
Contact: Deb Conrad, Director, Higher Education in Prison Program
Phone: 775-445-3302
Email: deb.conrad@wnc.edu
Website: Higher Education in Prison Project
Western Nevada College (WNC) started its college-in-prison program in 2015 at Warm Springs Correctional Center (now closed) with a small group of incarcerated veterans earning Associate of General Studies degrees.
The program has grown since then and now also offers an Associate of Arts (AA) degree, the Welding Certificate of Achievement and Associate of Applied Science, Certificate of Achievement in Automotive Mechanics, and, only at Stewart Conservation Camp, a short-term Manufacturing Technician skills certificate.
Deb Conrad is the program’s long-term director. “It’s the students with their dedication and focus who have given me passion for the Higher Education in Prison Program,” she says, “…and, man, are they smart!”
Northern Nevada Correctional Center auto shop class.
Photo credit: WNC Higher Education in Prison Program
WNC’s new auto mechanics program, a partnership with the Nevada Department of Corrections, the Northern NV Correctional Center, and the Campagni Auto Group, was enthusiastically welcomed in 2023.
Students talk about the program’s meaning to them:
