Representatives from Langston University attended the inaugural convening of the Second Chance Pell Pilot Program yesterday in Washington D.C., which allows incarcerated students to receive federal Pell Grant funding for postsecondary education. Last month, the U.S. Department of Education announced the 69 selected colleges and universities that will provide postsecondary education to nearly 12,000 students in more than 100 state and federal prisons nationwide. Langston University was the only 4-year institution in Oklahoma that was selected to participate in the program out of more than 200 applicants in 48 states.
In 1994, Pell Grant eligibility for students in state and federal prisons was eliminated as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act. Last year, the U.S. Department of Education announced the Second Chance Pell Pilot Program to restore educational access for some of those individuals, improving their chances of successful and productive reentry after they are released.
The meeting was hosted by the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the Vera Institute of Justice (Vera), featured keynote presentations by Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates and U.S. Department of Education Secretary John B. King, who also moderated a panel of students describing their college experiences in prison.
“We are honored to have been selected as a pilot, which will allow us to further our mission of offering quality post-secondary education to diverse populations through academic, research, community engagement, extension, and co-curricular experiences that lead to professional competence and degree completion” said Dr. Lisa Weis, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Langston University-Tulsa campus (LU-Tulsa).
“LU-Tulsa will oversee the first implementation and will work directly with the Dick Connor Correctional Center (DCCC) beginning fall 2016,” said Dr. Weis.
During the conference, postsecondary and correctional leaders from the selected pilot programs had the opportunity to share ideas and hear from leaders in the field of correctional education in preparation for developing and implementing new programs or expanding existing ones.
“Expanding educational opportunity for people who are incarcerated not only improves their lives, but strengthens our communities by preparing them to contribute to society rather than return to prison,” said Fred Patrick, director of Vera’s Center on Sentencing and Corrections. “We are thrilled that Langston University is a partner in this important initiative to restore and expand access to college in prison.”
With support from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Vera is providing technical assistance to the selected Second Chance Pell sites as part of the Expanding Access to Postsecondary Education Project. The project aims to facilitate the implementation and scaling up of quality higher education programs in prisons and those that work with students after they return home, and to assist with the development of policies, procedures, and practices to increase the participation of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals in these programs.
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