The Columbia International University Prison Initiative has graduated its tenth cohort of student-inmates from the program that began in 2007. Since its inception, 157 men and women have graduated from the program with accredited Associate of Arts degrees and are now serving in over 20 institutions as chaplain’s assistants.

“The Prison Initiative continues to have a very positive effect on many men and women in our institutions,” said SCDC Director Bryan P. Stirling in a statement. “This collaboration with CIU is a vital part of our effort to reduce recidivism and make our prisons safer.”

This year’s Prison Initiative commencement exercises at the Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia was particularly special as one of the program’s former graduates came back to speak to the graduates on the special day.

WIS TV was there and picks up the story here.

Learn more about the CIU Prison Initiative here. 

Excitement is building on the CIU campus with a dramatic increase in enrollment and on-campus expansion including the $20 million William H. Jones Global Business & IT Center and CIU’s first baseball program to begin in 2019.