LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Southeast Community College and the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services shook hands Friday on an agreement that could see more inmates in Nebraska’s correctional facilities get access to a college education.

SCC’s Lincoln Campus is mostly devoid of students and teachers because of spring break this week, but on Friday, the focus was on education outside of the institution’s grounds. Specifically Nebraska’s correctional facilities.

Being locked behind prison bars can fundamentally change a person’s life, but incarceration doesn’t have to be the end. That’s the message behind a new partnership between SCC and NDCS.

”The excitement’s there,” said NDCS Director Rob Jeffreys. “The will is there and I think the state of Nebraska is going to be able to transform the things we do to prepare people to get back out to communities and be successful.”

The partnership aims to expand educational opportunities for the inmates of Nebraska’s prisons. SCC enrolled 229 incarcerated people for the 2024 spring semester, and more than 30 SCC faculty are teaching on-site and revising courses to meet security needs.

A pilot program is underway with SCC instructors travelling to correctional facilities to teach a total of 160 students earning credits.

“The students are doing amazing work,” said Tammy Zimmer, SCC English instructor. “They are doing research, they’re doing writing, they are some of the best students I think I’ve ever had in my whole tenure here at SCC.”

This is in part thanks to change in federal law that allows inmates to seek federal financial assistance for education. In July 2023, the Department of Education reinstated Federal Pell Grant eligibility to incarcerated individuals, paving the way for SCC to create a Prison Education Program. While waiting for approval to become a Pell-funded PEP, SCC has begun offering courses to incarcerated people using alternative funding.
NDCS said this will help with its goal to reduce recidivism and reacclimate inmates to life outside prison.

“Incarcerated individuals who participate in correctional education programs are 43% less likely to return to prison within three years and these odds decrease as they achieve higher levels of education,” Jeffreys said. “This partnership with SCC brings a wealth of knowledge inside our walls and gives students the tools — and hope — to envision and work towards a future.”

SCC said it will help the college keep its promise to be open to all and bolster the skilled workforce.

The more expansive program where students can tap into those federal dollars is set to start next fall, according to SCC administrators.

SCC’s program, Unlocking Potential With Academic Resources and Development, currently offers a degree in associate of arts in academic transfer. Beginning in fall 2024, the associate of applied science in business, along with career and technical education programs, will be offered. These degree programs were selected because of the transferability of the courses as SCC expands UPWARD’s course offerings and locations.

Classes are conducted in-person and on a similar schedule as SCC’s other campuses. For individuals who participated in admissions testing and have a release date prior to the end of the spring 2024 semester, SCC is working with them as they transition home to enroll in summer 2024 session classes at the college’s campuses and learning centers.

Classes are taught in Lincoln at the Nebraska State Penitentiary, Reception and Treatment Center, Community Corrections Center – Lincoln and the Center for People for CCC-L students. Classes are also taught in York at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women. SCC provides laptops for students to use and expand their digital literacy, working closely with NDCS to ensure these devices meet all security standards.

The following courses are offered this semester and most meet twice/week for a total of three hours/week:

• CCC-L: Introduction to Psychology, Fundamentals of Human Communication, Success at SCC, Transitions
• Center for People: Microsoft Applications, Success at SCC, Transitions
• NCCW: Transitions, Composition I, Writing Workshop, Success at SCC
• NSP: Composition I, Writing Workshop, Beginning College Reading and Writing, Intermediate College Reading and Writing, Introduction to Business, Business Communications, American History, Success at SCC, Transitions
• RTC: Public Speaking, American History, Success at SCC, Transitions