Battle Over Prison Bridge Program at College Unbound
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Providence's James Monteiro has sent a cease and desist letter to College Unbound (CU) to stop using the Prison Bridge Program (PBP) name, after he said he created the program - but that it was ultimately “taken” by CU President Dennis Littky after he agreed to sign a non-compete.
Monteiro, who founded PBP in 2014 to help incarcerated individuals obtain a bachelor’s degree, having been in prison himself, was awarded a fellowship by global nonprofit Echoing in 2015 to implement the program in Rhode Island.
“I’d been working with College Unbound since 2013. Littky asked me to work as an advisor,” said Monteiro. “In 2014, I started to have conversations about creating a program for the prison. I’ve always dreamt of this, it began to flesh itself out. A lot of has to do with my personal experience - I couldn’t afford to go for a bachelor’s when I was in prison. But I got my degree. More education equals more money for freedom. Without education you have little to no choices, which is why I created Prison Bridge, through my own experiences and knowing where the holes were.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“Dennis is someone I worked with, A.T. Wall and I had lunch throughout the year. I had a bunch of different ideas, my own research and experience,” said Monteiro. “I wrote a proposal to Echoing Green, and they funded the program.”
College Unbound Connection, and Split
“So I partnered with College Unbound, it only made sense. I’m close with Dennis, I could have gone a hundred places,” said Monteiro. “We both know he wrote the recommendation letter to do the program, in his own words - he said I created the program, he knows he endorsed me doing this work. Now he wants to take it.”
Monteiro said he began to take issue with how grants - and funding - were handled by CU.
“As soon as Littky started seeing it be a success, they were writing grants and not even letting me know,” said Monteiro. “One grant came in for $800,000 and I hadn’t even seen the budget - and I never saw the grant. People were being hired at College Unbound with nothing to do with prison work. Meanwhile I had limited funds, they were writing grants, and I asked, where’s the staffing?”
“So I was arguing with Littky about money, and how the program was being run,” said Monteiro. “I told Littky if it weren’t for him, I would have taken the program elsewhere, to Roger Williams [University]. I said that Echoing Green was telling me I needed to incorporate the program. Next thing I know when my contract was up for renewal, [CU] put in a no-compete clause. I had to sign it. I had no choice, I needed the money.”
“Littky wanted me to go around the country and raise money for the program,” said Monteiro. “At that time, Lumina Foundation was following me around for a story. I saw it before it went to print, and Littky had taken all the credit for Prison Bridge Program. Littky said it was too late to change, but I know folks there, and I got it changed. But that was it. I was done.”
Littky Responds
“Now Littky’s saying he founded the program in 2015. I’d already created the program in 2014, “ said Monteiro. “I’ve got a cease and desist - they keep using my image, when they know I helped created and build it.”
Monteiro said he believes it is CU’s goal to obtain full college accreditation that is a driving force in what has happened.
“College Unbound is going for accreditation. Littky needs in a million [dollars] in the bank, and he needs to show the college is growing,” said Monteiro. “The problem is, the people not in the prison program people have been dropping out, but the prison program is growing - it’s a captive audience.”
“We went from 15 students to medium security, then in 6 months we added 10 to the women’s prison, 30 in minimum, and 17 in maximum,” said Monteiro. “We went from 15 to over 100 with a waiting list — and that’s his numbers showing growth for college.”
“He shouldn’t be using the Prison Bridge Program,” said Monteiro. “I have the name registered, I have the EIN in my name, not Littky. Echoing Green is trying to find me a pro-bono lawyer, we’re trying to finds someone who doesn’t have conflicts with Littky’s board.”
On Tuesday, Littky said he was limited in what he could say, given the legal issues.
“The program was in College Unbound and Big Picture, that’s why there’s a non-compete in everyone’s contract,” said Littky. “I’m trying to work it out. I don’t know whose job it is to consider whose program [PBP] is, but we have a board, and I know what I’ve been told.”
“I don’t want to get into it. I love James, he was close - it was his option to leave,” said Littky. “It’s [an issue] for our HR. If you’re being paid by the organization, there’s a non-compete so people just don’t take their work and leave. I’m personally trying to work this out. The whole thing makes me a little sad. What James says is what he says.”
Related Articles
- NEW: Providence’s Monteiro Wins National Award for Prison Bridge Program
- College Unbound at RWU Information Session
- NEW: College Unbound Approved as Rhode Island’s Newest College
- College Unbound Set to Award $15,000 Scholarships to 15 Students
- Met School Co-Founder Dennis Littky featured Speaker at the World Innovation Summit for Education
- The MET’s Dennis Littky Receives NE Higher Education Excellence Award
- James Monteiro: 15 To Watch in RI in 2015
- Monteiro on Prison Guards
