In fall 2021, an initiative unique to The University of Scranton and rare among Jesuit higher education institutions welcomed its first cohort. Just over two years later, these Royals received their Associate of Arts degree in liberal studies through The University of Scranton Prison Education Program at Dallas State Correctional Institution (Dallas-SCI).
In their own words, the graduates of this pioneering program discovered hope and encouragement, a sense of purpose, self-esteem and educational goals. Their feedback, emphasizes gratitude and lauds the supportive Scranton faculty. One student who graduated in December 2023 explains, “How do I convey what it is like to feel human? That is how The University of Scranton impacts me. I know I return to my humanness. I still have value to others, and with this blessing of continued education, I intend to be a blessing to those who cross my path in life.”
Another student shares a story that personalizes the impact of the free education offered to all students who are accepted into the program.
“How do I convey what it is like to feel human? That is how The University of Scranton impacts me. I know I return to my humanness. ..." — A graduate of the first cohort of The University of Scranton Prison Education Program at Dallas State Correctional Institution (Dallas-SCI).
“One week after my mother lost her struggle with Covid-19, I received my acceptance letter to The University of Scranton. That piece of paper and the opportunity it signified was a shining beacon of hope in a very dark time. Soon thereafter, Christopher Haw led a caring group of professors into our place of imprisonment, greeting us with open arms, and began the process of pulling us back into the light. Their faith in our abilities and kindness was something few, if any, of us have ever experienced in a correctional setting.”
“Most professors who teach in prison become more inspired and rigorous.”
— Christopher Haw, Ph.D.
Christopher Haw, Ph.D., Scranton Prison Education Program founder and director since inception (groundwork in fall 2018; first course in fall 2021), discusses the inspiration he experienced while earning his Ph.D. at The University of Notre Dame and teaching in a prison education program created by Notre Dame and Holy Cross College.
“People sometimes refer to prisons as informational deserts: the psychological and logistical conditions tend to starve or distort the mind, restrict information, and compress the soul. And such mental deserts quickly bloom with the ‘rain’ of high-intensity education, pitched at a level that dignifies and confirms them as capable learners,” says Dr. Haw, associate professor of theology and religious studies at Scranton.
“Over the course of two semesters of teaching at that Notre Dame program, I was lucky enough to have the same students. And during our few dozen sessions together, I was able to see dramatic improvement and growth in virtually all.
“I immediately understood why some schools do college in prison not only for missional reasons but as faculty enrichment. Most professors who teach in prison become more inspired and rigorous. I soon resolved that, wherever I could get hired as a professor, I would want to start such a program.”
Measuring Progress
The University’s Prison Education Program aligns with Scranton’s Jesuit mission to extend education and care to marginalized and underserved populations. Through the program, inmates can take general education college-credit courses taught by University professors on-site at the correctional facility. Participants can earn 60 credits for an associate’s degree in just two and a half years.
The program’s inaugural cohort surpassed expectations, with participants completing a combined total of over 1,000 credit hours.
“Every one of those was hard won; on both the student and University side,” said Dr. Haw.
“I am extremely happy with what we’ve achieved. We surpassed my initial goals of when we would start — setting things up within a few years of my hire, not the several years that some veterans in the field told me to expect,” Dr. Haw said. He attributes this in part to the support and quick uptake of the University’s administration, which seamlessly integrated it into the workflow.
“Besides securing Second-Chance Pell funding, we have also landed some hearty grants — at least on par with what I might have imagined before starting.”
This fall, Dr. Haw will run admissions for a third cohort for the program and prepare for the graduation of the second cohort of 14 students.
“I have the next several semesters’ worth of courses already scheduled. Some will be taught by new professors eager to join the fray,” said Dr. Haw.
Doing More With Less
The opportunity to have a transformational learning experience inspires Jesuit educators and incarcerated students to do more with less.
“Within these walls, the avenues for personal achievement are few and far between: art contests and weightlifting competitions. They aren’t comparable to an associate degree from a pre-eminent Jesuit University,” stated a graduate of the first cohort.
Billie R. Tadros, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of English and Theatre at the University, joined the program faculty 18 months ago, first attending study halls in spring 2023, then teaching in summer 2023.
“It was primarily program director Dr. Chris Haw’s restlessness that drew me to teaching at SCI-Dallas. I use the word ‘restlessness’ in the sense in which we sometimes refer to the Jesuit ideal of the Magis as the restless pursuit of excellence, the pursuit of more — not just more for oneself, but also more for others,” said Dr. Tadros, whose course, WRTG 107: Composition, has been well-received.
Dr. Haw guides faculty to maintain consistency in curriculum between Dallas satellite classes and main campus. In some cases, adaptation is necessary.
“Though a few students had access to typewriters, most students were completing their essays and assignments with pen or pencil and notebook paper, and no students had access to the internet for their assignments,” said Dr. Tadros.
“This required both the students and me to innovate in defining and perform ing what it means to research. All of the students enrolled in the course had access to a sizeable selection of course readings they drew from in their written assignments. …. the richer sources of research from which they drew were not only their own personal libraries … but, more importantly, their own lives.”
“… the richer sources of research from which they drew were not only their own personal libraries … but, more importantly, their own lives.”
— Billie R. Tadros, Ph.D.
Dr. Tadros had never been inside a prison before joining the University’s program.
“Among what surprised me most was both how resilient the students and I sometimes were (e.g., when a prison lockdown delayed our class session, but we regrouped) and how inflexible I sometimes was (e.g., when limited access to printing at the prison forced me to change my lesson plans and my assignments, and I froze). Two things can be true at the same time,” she said.
“The truth of this statement is perhaps most apparent teaching in a prison, where you’re trying to promote freedom of inquiry in the space of the classroom — but where your students are not at all free, and where, in the spirit of the Magis and of striving for and giving more, you also have to learn to do your vocation with less,” said Dr. Tadros.
Adaptability is Everything
According to David Mahalak, Ph.D., from the Kania School of Management, engagement in Statistics for Business classes soared when topics connected to students’ interests, like sports and the stock market, demonstrating the practical applications of probability and risk analysis in decision-making.
“It was great to see students actively engaging and thinking about the concepts they were learning in class. Then, asking questions about the application in various areas of business, sports and finance.”
The Prison Education Program has made him a better person, said Dr. Mahalak.
“I learned a very valuable skill set in adaptability. If the computer isn’t working, that’s OK. I can still deliver and provide students with a great educational experience.”
“I learned a very valuable skill set in adaptability. If the computer isn’t working, that’s OK. I can still deliver and provide students with a great educational experience.”
— David Mahalak, Ph.D., Kania School of Management
Connection Adds Momentum
A Jesuit consortium, the Jesuit Prison Education Network (JPEN) officially launched in early 2023 and appears to be gaining momentum. Last fall, Dr. Haw attended the group’s first in-person gathering, which resulted in almost monthly video conferencing discussions that “truly cross-pollinate our work.”
“St. Louis University (SLU) hosted part of the conference inside their partner-prison. A feature of the event was to celebrate SLU’s 15 years of prison education; and it was impressive to see how they had grown the prison into a mini-campus. I loved talking with their students and professors — and even their DOC staff.”
According to Dr. Haw, the collective is drawing in non-Jesuit Catholic schools, like Notre Dame, which will host a JPEN gathering this fall 2024 and fund the inclusion of DOC administrators.
The University will continue to offer lectures at another nearby prison, Waymart SCI.
“Their administration is very thirsty for education and very accommodating to any professors who want to visit. I’d like to keep introducing more professors to college in prison by getting them to offer just a single favorite lecture there.”
Dr. Haw said the hope is to continue graduating students with their associate’s degrees.
“This has, so far, occasioned a few students continuing college coursework down at Villanova’s bachelor’s program, hosted at SCI Phoenix. Perhaps we will someday expand to a bachelor’s degree, but we need to keep building rapport, stabilizing and expanding our funding base.”
To other Jesuit schools inspired to start programs, Dr. Haw extends advice and a gracious offer.
“Call me. Kidding, not kidding. Talk with preexisting programs. During my first year here, I interviewed 23 other college-in-prison program directors around the country, building a massive web of knowledge for myself on various fronts.”
Christopher Haw, Ph.D., founder and director, University of Scranton Prison Education Program and associate professor, theology and religious studies, shown at center, conducts classes in Theology II and Hermeneutics at the State Correctional Institution in Dallas, Pennsylvania. He discusses the 1,000 credit hours earned by students in the program: “Every one of those was hard won; on both the student and University side.”
Validation and inspiration arrive from a first-cohort graduate of The University of Scranton Prison Education Program.
“I came to prison as a teenager. I thought that I would never have the opportunity to go to college. Because of the length of my sentence,
I was excluded from the Pell Grant programs once they came back. One day, I saw a memo posted on the wall about The University of Scranton’s associate degree program. … I was so happy because it was my first opportunity for higher education in the 20-plus years I’ve been incarcerated,” he said.
“The professors at the University are top notch, and it’s inspiring to see how much they care about us. It really means a lot. In the cold world that is prison, it’s nice to feel the warmth of some humanity.”
