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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 24, 2016

For More Information:
����ֱ�� State College
Public Relations Department
(304) 462-4115

GLENVILLE, WV - ����ֱ�� State College has been named by the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) as the only college in West Virginia to participate in the new Second Chance Pell pilot program. The program, which includes 66 other educational institutions across the United States, will allow eligible incarcerated Americans to receive Pell Grants and pursue postsecondary education with the goal of helping them get jobs and support their families when they are released. The program builds on the USDOE’s commitment to contribute to a more effective criminal justice system, reduce recidivism, and combat the impact of mass incarceration on families and communities through educational opportunity.

GSC and the other selected colleges and universities will partner with 141 Federal and state penal institutions to enroll roughly 12,000 incarcerated students in educational and training programs. Through the Second Chance Pell pilot program, Federal Pell Grant funds will be made available to qualified students who are incarcerated and are likely to be released within five years of enrolling in coursework.

“Education has long been an avenue for achieving more meaningful employment and we applaud the Department’s efforts to reduce chances for re-incarceration. ����ֱ�� State College is proud to be the only college in West Virginia to help these students earn a chance for better jobs upon their release,” said GSC President Dr. Peter Barr.

Since 2005, ����ֱ�� State College has been an active partner in educating the incarcerated population at Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Gilmer. GSC and FCI Gilmer have an educational agreement that will be expanded to a larger percentage of their population by allowing them to use their Federal Pell Grant money. GSC already offers a two-year degree program in business at FCI Gilmer and has seen over 50 individuals complete that program. With the announcement of the Second Chance Pell program, offerings will expand to include two- and four-year programs in business and natural resource management with a concentration in land surveying. Plans are being made for GSC to offer programs at Huttonsville Correctional Center in Randolph County as well.

“We are looking forward to our partnership with Huttonsville Correctional Center and we appreciate how accommodating and open the administrators at that facility have been. It will obviously help their incarcerated population but we also see it as helping the economy in the Elkins area as we will be looking for adjunct faculty to teach the courses,” said GSC’s Institutional Program Coordinator Jonathan Massey. Interested instructors should contact Massey at (304) 462-6022.

U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. said, “The evidence is clear. Promoting the education and job training for incarcerated individuals makes communities safer by reducing recidivism and saves taxpayer dollars by lowering the direct and collateral costs of incarceration.” He added, “I applaud the institutions that have partnered to develop high-quality programs that will equip these students with invaluable learning. The knowledge and skills they acquire will promote successful reintegration and enable them become active and engaged citizens.”

This announcement comes on the heels of another invitation from the Department of Education that gives ����ֱ�� State College exclusive permission to take part in their nationwide experiment for high school students taking dual enrollment courses. That program opens access to Federal Pell Grants for eligible West Virginia high school students to take part in GSC dual enrollment courses at no cost. GSC’s inclusion in the initiative was announced in May.