V7I2: Journey to Pell Approval for Oregon Prison Education Programs

Nahlee Suvanvej, Director – Higher Education in Prison (HEP), Portland State University

Emma Chaput, MPH, Professor of Biology, Central Oregon Community College

Prior to 1994, higher education prison programs were relatively widespread. Through the Higher Education Act of 1965, Pell grants — federal financial aid available to low-income college students — were used to support tuition and materials for incarcerated students. It is estimated that in the early 1990s, there were more than 750 higher education prison programs throughout the United States. But the 1994 “Violent Crime and Law Enforcement Act” banned incarcerated students from receiving Pell aid, and, by 1997, the number of higher education prison programs had dropped to seven philanthropically funded programs. In 2015, the Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative (SCP) was announced. From 2016-2022, more than 40,000 incarcerated students participated in postsecondary education funded through SCP. Now, with the full reinstatement of Pell eligibility for all incarcerated students in 2023, the potential for expanding access to educational opportunities is immense but not without continued barriers and challenges.

Three “Steps” to Pell

While all incarcerated people are technically eligible to receive Pell funding for post-secondary education programs, those funds can only be used in a federally approved, eligible Prison Education Program. The three steps to receiving Pell Eligible status, as detailed through statute, are:

Prison education program approval from the facility and the state oversight body (e.g., Oregon Department of Corrections);
Program accreditation from the college or university’s accrediting body; and,
Successful application to the U.S. Department of Education.

This article will provide a description of the journey of two Oregon institutions of higher education prison programs that were some of the first in the country to receive Pell-eligible status. We hope that through sharing the experiences of those actively engaged with college in prison, we can provide insight into some of the unique challenges, opportunities and joys that are inherent in reimagining where and how postsecondary education exists.

Portland State University (PSU) and Central Oregon Community College (COCC) both received their Pell-eligible approval notification in summer of 2024. We have been fortunate that the Oregon Department of Corrections Education and Training Administrator, Tracie Hightower, has been a leader in this work, creating the DOC application process and convening the Oversight Committee earlier than in many other states. Below we share some of our observations from navigating this process.
PSU’s Journey to Pell

PSU has had a thriving Higher Education in Prison (HEP) program since 2019, offering baccalaureate degree coursework in Liberal Studies to students at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility (CCCF), the only Oregon state prison that serves women, trans-identified, and gender nonconforming adults in custody. PSU also offers Black Studies certificate coursework to students at the Oregon State Penitentiary. With Pell reinstatement on the horizon in 2023, PSU’s HEP was launched with the intent to move toward a Pell-funded model and expand programming into additional locations. For the first four years, the program operated entirely through external philanthropic funding and a Restricted Differential Tuition, charging students a flat fee per course. CCCF is one of two pilot sites designated by Oregon SB1522 to test the success of online learning in corrections, which has expanded course delivery opportunities. While PSU received official U.S. Department of Education PEP approval for CCCF in August 2024, the program had hoped to be Pell-eligible by fall of 2023.

PSU’s Journey to Pell

While awaiting PEP approvals during the 2023-24 academic year, PSU’s HEP was able to continue course delivery through the allocation of Oregon Legislative “Bridge to Pell” funding. As the program moved through the full application process, development of these novel processes happened simultaneously. Inevitable unanticipated hurdles were overcome through commitment and close collaboration among various stakeholders, including NWCCU, PSU’s Accreditation and Compliance Coordinator, Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Enrollment Management, Financial Aid, Student Accounts, Registrar, the Oregon Department of Corrections, and others. In addition, ongoing support and guidance from subject matter and field experts, such as the Vera Institute of Justice, the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison, and Jobs for the Future’s Ready for Pell Initiative, collectively provided technical assistance and communities of practice to guide the PEP process.

As our program has developed and transitioned, many lessons have been learned. Below are some key takeaways from PSU’s journey to successful PEP implementation.

On Campus:

Relationship-building is instrumental. Have conversations with stakeholders across campus in early planning stages; consider starting a steering committee and/or enlisting a “champion” to leverage existing capital.
Buy-in is essential to building and sustaining a program. Who are the necessary folks for buy-in? Consider inviting them to an event or presentation. Leverage other local program successes to reach those in opposition.
Approach with thoughtful collaboration when developing processes and systems to serve the unique circumstances of incarcerated students. We worked closely with the Registrar, Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid to develop paper admissions, FAFSA and registration processes. Seek student experience feedback.
Intentional faculty recruitment and training. Teaching in the carceral setting requires a trauma-informed approach, adaptability and flexible instructional methods. Create a program-specific faculty handbook, host orientations (new and seasoned faculty, former students, staff) and accompany new faculty into the facility to help orient to the space.
Institutional financial investment is key to sustaining programming. Staffing, structures and systems are crucial for long-term success and growth.
Seek input from Fiscal Officers on how to structure programming to align with institutional priorities. The goal is to become interwoven within the institution.
Online learning provides opportunities to expand learning modalities to serve more students. Students who transition to the main campus are prepared to navigate Canvas LMS, boosting confidence and reducing barriers to student onboarding.
Patience and persistence. There is a way through.

Off Campus:

Statewide collaborative efforts. Partnerships with the Oregon Department of Corrections and the Oregon Coalition for Higher Education in Prison (OCHEP) serve as a platform for addressing collective agendas from multiple stakeholders, including students who were previously enrolled in a PEP.
Participate in national collective PEP networks to lean on subject matter and field experts. Having a network of professionals one can reach out to for troubleshooting is key when challenges arise. These are also great opportunities to share successes and wins, and build community.
Online learning provides opportunities to expand learning modalities to serve more students. Incarcerated students learn to navigate technology and Canvas LMS. Staff at CCCF provide necessary on the ground support to run day-to-day PEP operations and serve as a point of contact for students and colleges. The success of this pilot can be used as a model for universal implementation.
Self- care and rest are essential.

COCC’s Journey to Pell

COCC launched a new Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer (AAOT) PEP at Deer Ridge Correctional Institution (DRCI) in spring of 2024, offering general education coursework. This program was designed to be implemented with Pell funding in mind. While the COCC PEP did not receive final word of successful Pell-eligibility until June 2024, the program was able to start in spring term of 2024 with state “Bridge to Pell” funding allocated by the Oregon Legislature and with additional COCC support. COCC has four campuses throughout a large service district. The start of this program at DRCI is the opportunity to serve an additional student population with the same accredited courses at a fifth location. Without a doubt, the relative speed of the completion of the Pell-approval process and initiation of offering courses is the result of committed support throughout COCC, including many faculty, the President and Instructional Administration, Financial Aid, Admissions & Records, Marketing and Public Relations, Information Technology Services, the Accreditation Liaison Officer, and myriad others.

Unlike PSU, our program launched as a result of Pell reinstatement. As a result, we have been building all of our systems and structures simultaneously to working through the Pell process. Some observations from the initiation of this new college-in-prison program and Pell-approval process are described below.

On Campus:

Collaboration is key and buy-in across campus is essential.
Having conversations throughout campus to build broad support must happen prior to starting the Pell-approval process.
Starting a program may benefit from having a faculty champion who will lead the conversations and who can use campus capital to foster the necessary buy-in.
Start by making a list of the people on campus whose support is necessary and having individual conversations with each person, gauging interest, and identifying areas of weakness that will require additional support.
Building systems collaboratively across campus, with a particular focus on robust and transparent internal communications can minimize challenges of misunderstanding and miscommunication.
Recruiting and training faculty with intention, emphasizing trauma-informed teaching, student-centered language, and with clarity regarding the challenges students face — from technology to not being able to easily create space for study and academic work — increases the chances for long-term student and faculty success.
Sustaining a program requires that the institution financially invest in long-term support structures (e.g., permanent staffing) so that the program’s existence does not require one individual’s efforts.

Off Campus:

Having productive partnerships throughout the state, including with the Oregon Department of Corrections and the Oregon Coalition for Higher Education in Prison smooths the way for successful Pell application and, in our case, program launch.
Leveraging existing resources reduces the workload. Ask other colleagues in your state who are ahead of you in the Pell process for resources. Reach out to national organizations or leaders in this field. A Summer Residency with the Bard Prison Initiative was the inspiration and foundation for the launch of this new program. In addition, I received useful application materials from PSU and have shared our materials with other Oregon colleges and universities.

Conclusion

The lessons learned from both PSU and COCC are similar, although the programs started the Pell-approval process from very different spaces: work with your people; build productive partnerships, including with DOC; and always center student needs and student voices when considering how to develop and implement post-secondary education in a carceral setting.

In that spirit, we would like to conclude with reflections and words from our students. When asked to reflect on their experiences in their first term of college inside, students articulated profound growth and change, including:

Expanding of emotional intelligence that had been stunted due to the culture of confinement
Feeling gratitude for the autonomy available by creating their own routine of scholarship
Becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable
Building trusting friendships where they can escape posturing, embrace honesty, and put down prison politics
Embracing the challenge and opportunity of building interdependence in an environment that fosters isolation
Creating a positive community where humanity rather than the State ID # is the primary focus
Creating generational change by modeling being a college student as a parent, inspiring children to do the same
Encouraging others to engage with college classes and surrounding them with positive mindsets which have encouraged transformation in their individual lives

In their words:

“I’ve been to prison five times and this program has given me so much confidence and hope that I can change my life. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to participate in this program.”
“The AAOT program being offered here at Deer Ridge has had a huge impact on my future goals and the direction of my life post-release. I feel like this program has motivated me to continue my education and has given me the confidence to work hard and earn a degree that will have a life-changing effect on my life moving forward.”
“It’s just amazing…we all have our days, even me, but it gives us a future by getting a degree.”
“It’s given me hope and given me a voice.”
[Before higher education] “I was starving for something to do.”

About the Authors
Nahlee Suvanvej, Director – Higher Education in Prison (HEP), Portland State University. Nahlee has developed and implemented best practices in preparation of Pell reinstatement for incarcerated students at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, Oregon’s only women’s prison, since 2022. A PSU alumni, she draws upon lived expertise with the justice system to inform her approach to practice and leadership, and strives to foster agency and community among students while incarcerated, and post-release. Portland State University received Department of Education PEP approval in August 2024.

Emma Chaput, MPH, Professor of Biology, Central Oregon Community College. Emma has spent more than 20 years in higher education biology and public health instruction. Emma is new to the prison education space arriving via sabbatical opportunities, including the Summer Residency with Bard Prison Initiative. Since fall 2022, Emma has worked to launch COCC’s new AAOT program at DRCI and has shepherded the nascent program through the Pell approval process. COCC received Department of Education PEP approval in June 2024.