On June 30, Wiley College received $20,000 from the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and the NFL in an effort to strengthen the technology-based infrastructure of the Second-Chance Pell grant program.
The program provides those that are incarcerated the opportunity to earn an undergraduate degree.
Courtney Moses, a Business Administration major, spent the better part of the last 5 years behind bars. He had no idea what was next for him until he learned about Wiley’s Correctional Education Program. The recent graduate shared that although incarcerated, he is optimistic about his future.
Stories like his are not an anomaly thanks to the Second Chance Pell program. Data shows that programs like this help to cut recidivism rates by more than half.
“If not for this program, I would still be wondering what was next when I got out,” said Moses who is already considering graduate school opportunities.
Javan Reed, Assistant Vice President of Extended Education at Wiley is optimistic that the funds will be able to increase the capacity of services that they can provide to students.
“These funds are more than just a hand-out. They are a hand-up” said, Reed. With this gift, Wiley College is positioned to make an even greater impact on other students like Courtney Moses.
Currently, the program houses 70 students from the Raymond Laborde Correctional Center in Cottonport, LA, David Wade Correctional Center in Homer, LA, and Riverbend Detention Center in Lake Providence, LA. This grant will create opportunities for more than 200 additional students to participate in the program.