Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

First Prison Program Students to Receive Associate of Arts Degree from SLU

  • 10/23/15

ST LOUIS, MO – Saint Louis University (SLU) and the Missouri Department of Corrections recently announced the graduation of the first students in the innovative Associate of Arts degree program offered by the university's Prison Program.

The SLU Prison Program is the only onsite degree granting program in the United States that serves both the incarcerated as well as those who work in the facility. The program is operated out of the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center (ERDCC) in Bonne Terre, MO, in coordination with the Missouri Department of Corrections.

The program began in 2008 when a small group of SLU faculty — inspired by SLU's Jesuit mission — began holding theological studies classes with 15 incarcerated men at the ERDCC. The effort expanded to include prison staff with the creation of the Associate of Arts degree program in 2010. Since then, more than 20 professors have taught courses there ranging from philosophy to mathematics.

Department of Corrections staff students will participate in the mid-year commencement ceremony at the Chaifetz Arena on Friday, December 11, 2015.

On Monday, November 23, 2015, SLU will host a special graduation ceremony at the ERDCC for incarcerated students. SLU President Fred Pestello will deliver the commencement address.

About the Saint Louis University Prison Program
The SLU Prison Program is a Jesuit-inspired initiative that provides education to prison staff and people incarcerated in Missouri, promotes service and conducts research on education and incarceration.

Featured

  • FGCU Breaks Ground on New Health Sciences Building

    Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has launched construction on a major new academic facility that leaders say will reshape healthcare education in Southwest Florida for decades to come, according to university news.

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.

  • New Arizona Fine Arts School Reaches Construction Milestone

    Construction of the new Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater in Litchfield Park, Ariz., recently hit a significant milestone, according to a news release. The Agua Fria High School District held a beam-signing ceremony to celebrate the building’s topping out, or the placement of its last structural beam.