Rockhurst’s Prison Education Now Pell Grant Eligible, Able to Offer Associate Degree

In 2018, Rockhurst University began offering college courses, taught by its own faculty, to a small cohort of 20 incarcerated individuals and 10 staff at the Chillicothe Correctional Center. Progressing through disciplines and a pandemic, they’ve continued to learn.

This week, that program grew even stronger with a pair of announcements — that the Higher Learning Commission has approved an application for the University to offer an Associate of Arts in liberal studies degree through the program, and that the federal government has selected Rockhurst University as one of 73 institutions nationwide to take part in the third round of the Second Chance Pell Experiment.

Providing a path to a degree has been a goal of the program since its beginning, and the coursework for the liberal studies associate degree — 60 credit hours with requirements in written and oral communication, math, natural science, fine arts, history, literature/modern language, philosophy/theology and social science, plus 23 hours of electives — is an encapsulation of the Jesuit liberal arts tradition on which Rockhurst was founded. It’s meant to serve as a foundation for more specialized academic degrees or a number of career paths.

As part of the recognition of Second Chance Month, the U.S. Department of Education also announced Rockhurst as one of 73 institutions invited to participate in the Second Chance Pell Experiment, under which incarcerated students are eligible for apply for Pell Grants to fund their education. Previously funded exclusively through donations, the additional Pell grant funding will allow the University to expand the Chillicothe program over time, potentially adding an additional cohort of students and establishing a similar program at another correctional facility that has expressed interest.

A 2016 RAND Corporation study found participation in educational offerings for incarcerated people helps reduce recidivism rates and increase the likelihood of obtaining employment post-release. The same study concluded prison education programs are a cost-effective means of reducing recidivism.

University President the Rev. Thomas B. Curran, S.J., and Doug Dunham, Ph.D., University provost, celebrated these milestones in an announcement to campus Thursday, thanking the program’s director, Craig Watz, J.D., and the faculty who stepped up to teach courses and adapted through the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the program, Curran taught a class both in person and remotely.

“It has been an honor and privilege to teach and to accompany our companions in Chillicothe these past four and a half years on their educational journey,” Fr. Curran said. “They have approached their coursework with genuine openness and determination. They are part of our Rockhurst community and repeatedly demonstrate a commitment to our Jesuit pedagogy and way of proceeding. Being able to offer these Rockhurst students a path to a degree, and funding toward that goal, is the next step in the evolution of this program, and we are grateful for that opportunity.”

Learn more about the Companions at Chillicothe program here.