A group at Georgia State University (GSU) is attempting to save a program for incarcerated people seeking a degree.
The Prison Education Project, or PEP, was started at GSU in 2016.
It offers for-credit college courses at Phillips State Prison and last year, it saw the first-ever class of incarcerated students at Walker State Prison graduate, all with honors.
The program also provides enrichment courses at the U.S. Penitentiary in Atlanta.
But, Provost Nicolle Parsons-Parollard says the university can no longer afford to keep it running due to budget shortfalls.
“While the decision was not made lightly, it reflects the university’s commitment to responsible financial management and ensuring existing educational initiatives receive the necessary support and resources,” Parsons-Pollard said.
The program is primarily funded by outside donations from organizations like the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact and the Laughing Gull Foundation, but some of those funds are set to run out as soon as August.
Parsons-Pollard said it’s estimated that GSU spends about $180,000 a year on instructional and administrative expenses, plus another $12,000 to hire a graduate student to support the program.
As of last year, any person who is incarcerated, regardless of sentence length or conviction history, is also now eligible for a Pell Grant to pursue postsecondary education. Universities seeking PEP designation must meet a new slate of requirements and offer even more resources for the program.
That’s a lot for a public university that saw its budget slashed by $24.4 million by the Georgia General Assembly in Fiscal Year 2024 and anticipates another shortfall next fiscal year, says Parsons-Pollard.
“These financial challenges make it difficult to allocate resources to new initiatives, including the PEP program,” she said.
GSU student Madelief Tilder has been…
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