{"id":65901,"date":"2023-01-27T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-27T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=65901"},"modified":"2023-09-13T13:21:00","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T17:21:00","slug":"the-transformative-power-of-higher-education-a-qa-with-bobby-hiep-bui","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/news\/articles\/2023\/the-transformative-power-of-higher-education-a-qa-with-bobby-hiep-bui\/","title":{"rendered":"The Transformative Power of Higher Education"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin news-block-editorial-leadin is-style-side-by-side has-media has-flip has-box has-media-focus-center-middle\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1272\" height=\"1482\" src=\"\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/01\/bobby-bui-office.jpeg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Photo of Bobby Hiep Bui sitting in front of bookshelf with hands clasped together\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/01\/bobby-bui-office.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/01\/bobby-bui-office-515x600.jpeg 515w, https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/01\/bobby-bui-office-768x895.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/01\/bobby-bui-office-709x826.jpeg 709w, https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/01\/bobby-bui-office-295x344.jpeg 295w, https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/01\/bobby-bui-office-454x529.jpeg 454w, https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/01\/bobby-bui-office-585x682.jpeg 585w, https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/01\/bobby-bui-office-886x1032.jpeg 886w, https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/01\/bobby-bui-office-1134x1321.jpeg 1134w, https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/01\/bobby-bui-office-591x688.jpeg 591w, https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/01\/bobby-bui-office-908x1058.jpeg 908w, https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/01\/bobby-bui-office-1171x1364.jpeg 1171w, https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/files\/2023\/01\/bobby-bui-office-858x1000.jpeg 858w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1272px) 100vw, 1272px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Bobby Hiep Bui <\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">Counseling &amp; counseling psychology<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Transformative Power of Higher Education\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">A Q&amp;A with Bobby Hiep Bui<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar js-block-editorial-metabar news-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">January 27, 2023<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/news\/authors\/finn-gardiner\/\">Finn Gardiner<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"Photography by\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/bu-author\/christina-mcdonnell\/\">Christina McDonnell<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/profile\/bobby-hiep-bui\/\">Bobby Hiep Bui<\/a>, a senior lecturer in counseling psychology, brings a wealth of experience as a teacher, therapist, and trainer to his work at BU Wheelock. That experience is grounded in equity and justice, especially for those who have historically been denied psychotherapy or higher education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI believe education transforms people. It gives them opportunities. It opens doors,\u201d Bui says. He joined BU Wheelock in fall 2022 and is also the director of the EdM in counseling program.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An educator for more than two decades, Bui has seen firsthand the transformative power of higher education, especially for those who have been consigned to the margins. Over time, however, he noticed that one population was largely excluded from the advantages higher education had to offer: incarcerated people. He decided he could do something to help. \u201cWhen you look at who ends up incarcerated in US prisons, it\u2019s primarily Black and brown people or people who are impoverished,\u201d he says. \u201cI started looking for groups that were creating college programs in correctional facilities.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bui\u2019s interest in supporting higher education in prisons led him to work with <a href=\"https:\/\/hudsonlink.org\/\">Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison<\/a>. Started in 1999 by a group of community leaders, incarcerated men, college instructors, and volunteers, Hudson Link is a nonprofit organization in New York that provides incarcerated people with opportunities to work toward a bachelor\u2019s degree, as well as support for people reentering society from prison. According to Hudson Link\u2019s mission statement, higher education \u201ccan make a positive impact on [incarcerated people\u2019s] own lives, their families, and communities, resulting in lower rates of recidivism and higher rates of employment, community regeneration, cohesiveness, and reciprocity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through Hudson Link, Bui taught classes in introductory psychology, abnormal psychology, and personality at a men\u2019s maximum-security prison in New York. Before teaching at Hudson Link, Bui had no experience working with incarcerated people, and it took him some time to adjust to all the security precautions. \u201cIt was intimidating at first,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>The challenges of learning while incarcerated<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Instructors working in prisons as Bui does face several challenges. For one, they lack the academic freedom they would have in a traditional college or university: prison officials review videos, books, and other materials to ensure that they are appropriate. Also, there is limited technology for instructors and students.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Learning in prison can be trying for the students, too. Prisons are loud and chaotic, straining one\u2019s ability to concentrate amid the din. The strict regimentation of prison life also places constraints on when, and where, incarcerated people can study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But even within this daunting environment, Bui encountered students who were ready and eager to learn. \u201cThese men were impressive from day one,&#8221; says Bui. &#8220;They do all the reading ahead of time, and on their own, they\u2019ll do outside reading. I would say that they were the hardest-working students I\u2019ve ever had at any institution I\u2019ve taught at.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Personal development and intellectual curiosity aren\u2019t the only motivators for studying while incarcerated. Education can also reduce recidivism rates, or the rate at which people are incarcerated after returning from prison. According to Bui and Hudson Link, <a href=\"https:\/\/hudsonlink.org\/about\/\">around two-thirds of formerly incarcerated people \u201creturn to prison within three years of their initial release date.\u201d<\/a> Less than 2% of Hudson Link graduates, however, return to prison in the same time frame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since joining BU Wheelock\u2019s faculty, Bui has presented <a href=\"https:\/\/www.higheredinprison.org\/info\/2022-nchep-schedule\">research on college programs in prison<\/a> at the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison\u2019s 2022 conference. He&#8217;s proud to be part of an effort to support incarcerated people working toward a bachelor&#8217;s degree\u2014and making a long-term investment into their future outside prison. \u201cWe\u2019re not just building a better community inside the facility, but we\u2019re changing the lives of people and their families outside,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bobby Hiep Bui, a senior lecturer in counseling psychology, brings a wealth of experience as a teacher, therapist, and trainer to his work at BU Wheelock. That experience is grounded in equity and justice, especially for those who have historically been denied psychotherapy or higher education. \u201cI believe education transforms people. It gives them opportunities. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9274,"featured_media":64841,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[6456],"bu-publication":[6614],"magazine-article-category":[],"magazine-topic":[],"news-article-category":[6741,6749,6743,6645],"news-topic":[6790],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/65901"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9274"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65901"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/65901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69982,"href":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/65901\/revisions\/69982"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65901"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=65901"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-article-category?post=65901"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/magazine-topic?post=65901"},{"taxonomy":"news-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-article-category?post=65901"},{"taxonomy":"news-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-topic?post=65901"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=65901"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/id-kayla.cms-devl.bu.edu\/wheelock\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=65901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}