USM awarded $4.1 million grant to support prison education programs
Baltimore, Md. (October 31, 2025) – The ÏÂÔض¶Òõ (USM) has been awarded a $4.1 million grant to support a statewide vision for prison education programs.
Funded by Ascendium, the USM will bring together groups from across the state—institutions of higher education including community colleges, community organizations, Department of Corrections partners, and legislative partners—to create greater access to higher education opportunities for incarcerated individuals and returning citizens.
“We aim to involve not only our 12 USM universities but other public and private colleges in the region, too—together with agencies and organizations that support incarcerated Marylanders and returning citizens,” said USM Chancellor Jay A. Perman. “We’re excited to learn from existing partnerships and launch new programs that engage these students, expanding their college and career opportunities and strengthening the communities they return to.”
The four-year grant will allow the creation of the first of two regional hubs to support educational initiatives across the state and provide $400,000 each year in grants to higher education institutions, community partners and others to work in collaboration in developing and sustaining the initiative. Plans also include an annual symposium to bring individuals and organizations from across the state together to coordinate and recruit stakeholders to the partnership and hiring two full-time staff positions to serve the entire state.
Two USM institutions already offer four-year Prison Education Program (PEP) degrees, including Bowie State University (B.A.in Sociology at Jessup Correctional Institution), University of Baltimore (B.A. in Human Services Administration at Jessup Correctional Institution). Towson University (B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies) at Maryland Correctional Training Center in Hagerstown, will start in Fall 2026.
The grant has been awarded to Dr. Alison Wrynn and Dr. Zakiya Lee from the USM Division of Academic and Student Affairs by Ascendium Education Philanthropy, a division of Ascendium Education Group, a mission-driven nonprofit that works to make education and training beyond high school a reality for learners from low-income backgrounds.
Contact: Amy Pelsinsky
Phone: 301.445.8503
Email: apelsinsky@usmd.edu
