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»¨½·Ö±²¥ one of 67 schools announced in the program expansion

(Washington, D.C.)—The U.S. Department of Education has announced that the University of »¨½·Ö±²¥ is included in the expansion of the  to provide need-based Pell grants to people in state and federal prisons.

USM will offer bachelor completion degrees in Health Information Management and Computer Information Systems to students at the Lansing Correctional Facility in Kansas who already hold associate degrees.

Donnelly College and Kansas City Kansas Community College currently have well-established educational programs at the LCF, and the two colleges have existing partnerships and articulation agreements with »¨½·Ö±²¥. These partnerships provide pathways for students to build on their completed associate degrees and offer these Bachelor of Science completion degrees with a seamless transition of courses and requirements. 

USM has a long history of offering postsecondary education at penal institutions. From the early 1980s to the mid-1990s, the university established programs at four correctional sites in the Leavenworth area.

"We are excited to be part of this new cohort of Second Chance Pell sites," University President Sister Diane Steele said. "Evidence shows that quality postsecondary education changes lives for the better. USM has witnessed this firsthand from our previous experience educating incarcerated students. We believe our participation in Second Chance Pell will improve opportunities for incarcerated people and lead to safer prisons and communities."

Currently, 63 colleges across the U.S. participate in Second Chance Pell. This second cohort of 67 new schools will bring the total to 130 colleges in 42 states and Washington, D.C.

The vast majority of incarcerated people will one day return home, and providing access to postsecondary education in prison means that these individuals are far  and are  to play productive and positive roles within their communities. Access to postsecondary education also  for both incarcerated people and corrections employees alike.

The Vera Institute of Justice has been providing technical assistance to the participating colleges and corrections departments , working to ensure that the programs provide quality higher education in prison and post-release.

"This expansion of Second Chance Pell will improve lives and strengthen communities," said Nick Turner, president and director of the Vera Institute of Justice. "The expansion is also a testament to the fact that broader access to college in prison is a strategy that works – to improve safety and expand opportunity in our country."

"I've had the pleasure of visiting several Second Chance Pell institutions and have seen firsthand the transformative impact this experiment has on the lives of individuals who are incarcerated," U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said. "By expanding this experiment, we are providing a meaningful opportunity for more students to set themselves up for future success in the workforce. The stories I've heard from students and institutions engaged in the experiment are very encouraging, and we look forward to seeing how this expansion will help even more students achieve a better future."

To see a full list of sites selected in the second cohort of Second Chance Pell, visit the U.S. Department of Education's website .

 

The »¨½·Ö±²¥ is a Catholic co-educational applied liberal arts university founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth. The University of »¨½·Ö±²¥ main campus is located at 4100 South 4th Street, Leavenworth, Kan. USM's Overland Park Campus at 4500 College Boulevard offers evening accelerated graduate and undergraduate degree-completion programs. The university also offers online programs. Visit  for more information.