College Unbound’s Transformational Outcomes: A speech delivered by Sylvia Spears at the 10th Anniversary Celebration of College Unbound, May 2025
Good evening friends. Good evening. The other day I was in Philadelphia and I looked out to the community gathered there for the graduation. I was a little bit overwhelmed because when I looked out, what I saw was so beautiful. I have that same feeling right now that, wow, you look so good. To […]
First Three Women in RI History Receive Bachelor’s degrees from College Unbound Inside the ACI
Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos joined the leadership of RI Department of Corrections to honor and celebrate the historic graduation of RI’s first three incarcerated women to receive Bachelor’s Degrees from College Unbound. These are the first BA degrees awarded by a RI institution to incarcerated women in RI. Jose Rodriguez, Assistant Vice President for Community […]
Knowledge as Crime Prevention: Chicago street rivals become graduates and mentors through College Unbound program
In some Chicago communities, fewer than one in ten people graduate from college. Now, a program is helping local leaders turn their life experience into a degree and using it to fight gun violence head on.
A Constitution Day Message from Provost Sylvia Spears
CU Provost Sylvia Spears reflects on the U.S. Constitution for September 17, Constitution Day. The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787 by delegates to the constitutional convention. In doing so, the delegates established the national government of the United States and its fundamental laws. They also established the three branches of government […]
Relationships as Resistance by Sylvia Spears and Deborah Kronenberg
Sylvia C. Spears and Deborah Kronenberg offer practical ideas and inspiration for deepening relationships with students and colleagues as a way of navigating the political moment. As Subini Annamma and David Stovall write in their February piece, “Standing Up to the New Segregationists,” “When universities stay silent or indicate their willingness to comply with executive […]
Collegial Conversations: A Student-Driven Curriculum for Adult Learners
A Q&A reflecting on the importance of a learning experience that evolves to meet the student needs. Adam Bush is co-founder and current president of College Unbound, a nonprofit educational institution that serves adult learners. Founded a decade ago in Providence, Rhode Island, College Unbound now has locations in a dozen cities across the United […]
Board Chair Dr Wendell Pritchett speaks with Dr James Peterson on Evening WURDs.
Dr. Wendell Pritchett is a Professor of Law and Education at the University of Pennsylvania, author, past University of Pennsylvania interim president & dean, and was the Deputy Chief of Staff and Director of Policy for Mayor Nutter. Dr. Pritchett joins Dr. Peterson on Evening WURDs to talk about a recent Philadelphia Inquirer article about […]
CU Featured in Philadelphia inquirer
Millions of adults have some college but no degree. This Philly-area group wants to change that. “I call it reparations — to repair a lot of the damage that higher ed has caused,” Wendell Pritchett, the Penn law professor, said of College Unbound, where he’s chair of the board.
College Unbound Releases Impact Report
The report recaps significant growth over the past two years, following the expansion of program sites, financial updates, stories of impact, and goals for the future.
CU: A Case Study in Growth
In 2024, CU graduated 125 students, and compared nationally to other open-admissions, private, not-for-profit institutions that have a 31% 8-year graduation rate, CU had a retention/ graduation rate over 80%. This is striking. n January of 2020, the Chronicle of Higher Education published a cover story about College Unbound. “Colleges struggle to serve millions of […]