TUPIT Working Group
Last updated 8/31/2026
In the spring of 2026, the university launched an independent review of the Tufts University Prison Initiative at Tisch College (TUPIT) to ensure that we are operating in a manner that provides access to appropriate non-academic supports to participants and follows appropriate university-wide protocols to protect the safety and well-being of all students, faculty, and staff. Based on initial insight from the review, the provost convened a working group of faculty and staff from the School of Arts & Sciences, Tisch College, and the provost’s office to consider the review’s recommendations, seek input, and make, and in some cases implement, recommendations regarding program changes and continuity.
If you are a Tufts community member and would like to share insights, experiences or recommendations to inform the working group’s efforts, please email TUPITWorkingGroup@tufts.edu.
As additional information becomes available, we will share it here.
Learn more about the TUPIT program here.
Working Group Members
- Joe Auner, Provost and Senior Vice President ad interim (convener)
- Colleen Ryan, Vice Provost for Faculty, Office of the Provost
- Cigdem Talgar, Vice Provost for Education, Office of the Provost
- Heather Curtis, Warren S. Woodbridge Professor of Religion, School of Arts & Sciences and Director, Center for the Humanities at Tufts, School of Arts & Sciences
- Jen McAndrew, Senior Director of Communications & Planning, Tisch College
- Kara Charmanski, Executive Associate Provost, Office of the Provost
- Nimah Mazaheri, Dean of Academic Affairs, School of Arts & Sciences
- Taina Mcfield, Associate Dean for Strategy, Global Programs & Entrepreneurship, Tisch College
- Yolanda Smith, Chief of Police and Associate Vice President of Public Safety, Public Safety
Working Group Advisors
- Dana Fleming, Deputy General Counsel, Office of University Counsel
- Hilary Binda, Teaching Professor, School of Arts & Sciences
Community Messages