American Family Insurance Gift Benefits Prison Education Project, Place and Race Initiative – Georgia State University News – College of Arts and Sciences, Perimeter College, University Advancement
DUNWOODY, Ga. — Ga State University just lately acknowledged an award from the American Loved ones Insurance plan Institute for Corporate and Social Impression to guidance plans aimed at transforming the life of students and their households.
A gift of $200,000 will help extend Ga State’s Prison Instruction Challenge (GSUPEP), and $100,000 will assistance the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’ Place and Race initiative. The initiative seeks to improve monetary literacy and science, technological innovation, engineering, art and math (STEAM) training applications in K-12 universities in southeast Atlanta.
GSUPEP operates in two state prisons, a transitional facility and 17 Office of Juvenile Justice youth growth campuses. It features for-credit score and enrichment courses taught primarily by Perimeter School and Georgia Condition instructors.
“This meaningful reward will fund a whole-time director and extend the system to other prisons, as properly as enable with reentry applications,” explained Owen Cantrell, pedagogical coordinator of GSUPEP. Cantrell, a Perimeter College English professor, teaches in Phillips Point out Prison.
Jennie Ward-Robinson, co-director of operations and outreach for the Center for Research on Africa and Its Diaspora (CSAD), said the Put and Race money literacy initiative is an crucial chance to work with family members in the Summerhill community.
“Financial literacy is a critical instrument for economic expansion and prosperity,” Ward-Robinson mentioned. “CSAD is grateful for this assistance and the opportunity to provide African American family members in search of to increase their economical futures for on their own and their people.”
All through a exclusive event Feb. 21, Georgia State President M. Brian Blake, Interim Provost Nicolle Parsons-Pollard and Perimeter College or university Interim Dean Cynthia Lester welcomed American Family associates to Perimeter College’s Dunwoody Campus to thank them for the gift.
“Your generous gift allows these learners to not see on their own as who they are appropriate now but gives them the chance to see what they can come to be — college graduates,” Lester informed the accumulating.
“This partnership demonstrates the effects that a spot like Georgia State can have in the classroom and in the neighborhood,” Blake explained.
Through the party, GSUPEP alumni shared tales about the impression the software experienced on their life.
Jason Dolesenk is now a supervisor in a poultry processing plant. He commenced getting courses by way of GSUPEP even though incarcerated at Phillips State Prison.
“Being denied significant academic prospects as youngsters, college or university in prison is an chance to correct the completely wrong that most seriously contributed to marginalized individuals getting to be imprisoned,” Dolesenk stated. “Oftentimes this is not our 2nd possibility at training, but our initially considerable possibility, and an option is so significantly more momentous than a likelihood.”
Isaac Sandoval, who is now doing the job as a net designer, credited Andy Rogers, an English professor at Perimeter University, for observing him as much more than a prisoner.
“The hope you gave me and the self-confidence you gave me were being so critical,” Sandoval instructed Rogers. “When I arrived out of jail, I was able to transfer ahead.”
Rogers said learners like Sandoval served him turn into a far better instructor.
“The amount of preparedness in the course designed me genuinely glance forward to teaching these college students,” he reported.
“This program is based on a model of liberation of citizenship by schooling and is an example of how investing in a good chance for individuals with a felony report rewards everyone,” claimed Nyra Jordan, social affect investor at the American Family Insurance plan Institute. “Both packages align to our belief that to serve our communities we will need to construct a motion that provides obtain to possibilities, social and economical mobility and hope.”
Previous students in the GSUPEP software are joined by Georgia Condition President M. Brian Blake (3rd from correct), Perimeter Faculty Interim Dean Cynthia Lester (fourth from remaining) and Nyra Jordan (heart), social effect trader for the American Relatives Insurance Institute in the course of a special function celebrating the company’s gift to the university. Picture by Steven Thackston
Top photo courtesy of Frequent Great Atlanta.