NEWS AND EVENTS OF LIFE UNIVERSITY
Past Successes and Future Plans
The Importance of the Chillon Project
The Chillon Project is an initiative of the Center for Compassion , Integrity and Secular Ethics ( CCISE ) at Life University , and it provides higher education to people impacted by the prison system in Georgia . Life University offers two degree programs at a maximum-security facility for women in Georgia : An Associate of Arts in Positive Human Development and Social Change ( A . A . in PHDSC ) and a Bachelor of Science ( B . S .) in Psychology . Students in these programs who are released from prison continue to receive scholarships to complete degrees of their choice at Life U ’ s Marietta campus or through distance education . The Chillon Project also provides full scholarships for correctional staff at this prison to earn degrees at Life U .
The Chillon Project provides high-quality postsecondary education in prison and contributes to the well-being and empowerment of incarcerated people , with a ripple effect on children , families and communities inside and outside of prison . Research on higher education in prison has shown that it is the single most effective means of reducing the rates at which people return to prison , as noted by the Georgia Coalition for Higher Education in Prison ( GACHEP ) in a press release about a federal grant under which Life U is a sub awardee .
The Chillon Project is not primarily motivated by reducing recidivism , however . The program is founded on the belief that all people deserve access to educational resources that enable them to thrive personally while building the world they wish to see . In addition , as a university , we have a special vocation to share resources with people impacted by mass incarceration and systemic exclusion from access to education prior to their participation in prison programming .
History
The project ’ s name , “ Chillon ,” takes its name from the poem by Lord Byron entitled “ The Prisoner of Chillon .” Life University ’ s founder and first president , Dr . Sid E . Williams , recited passages of this poem to draw attention to how environments influence our lives .
The Chillon Project began in 2015 , when Dr . Brendan Ozawa-de Silva , then a faculty member at Life University , was teaching courses on Buddhism and Contemplative Practice at the prison through a non-creditbearing Certificate in Theological Studies administered by Emory University ’ s Candler School of Theology . The students in Dr . Ozawa-de Silva ’ s classes spoke passionately to him about their desire to be able to earn a college degree while incarcerated .
He presented a proposal to Life University ’ s then-President Dr . Guy F . Riekeman to begin a degree program at the prison . Dr . Riekeman responded with an enthusiastic “ yes ,” and that affirmation has been echoed by current Life University President Dr . Rob Scott , as well as by administrators , faculty and staff throughout the University who have committed their support to this program as a reflection of Life U ’ s vitalistic philosophy and the principle of Lasting Purpose : to give , to love , to do , to serve , out of your own abundance .
Dr . Thomas Flores , Assistant Professor and A . A . in PHDSC Faculty Coordinator , was instrumental in his role as co-creator of the original associate degree curriculum . He currently is an instructor for this program and spends much of his time working with the students at the prison .
“ Our students are very aware of how their actions affect other people , so that helps us work through the messiness […] Many of our students , when they grasp something , want to spread it . So , when they get out , many of them have developed local initiatives and workshops to become mentors for others ,” said Dr . Flores
With the help of a grant from the Laughing Gull Foundation and the wholehearted support of the Georgia Department of Corrections and prison staff , Life U became the first college or university based in the state of Georgia to provide a degree program in prison since 1994 when Pell Grants were banned for incarcerated people as part of the federal Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act .
“ Probably the biggest challenge is flexibility and adaptability . It ’ s being able to roll with the punches of having a syllabus and a game plan for assignments but then having unpredictable circumstances happen , students who are on lockdown or students have to miss class for medical or attorney phone calls ,” said Dr . Flores .
Life U admitted its first incarcerated students at the prison in July 2016 , and the first class graduated with their Associate of Arts degree in January 2019 . The second class graduated in January 2020 , and all students graduated with honors . In January 2020 , Life U also began offering a B . S . in Psychology at the prison , and all A . A . in PHDSC graduates have the opportunity to earn that degree .
“ It ’ s been a really positive educational experience because what we find is that especially over time , people are becoming more and more committed not only to their own success , but to the success of their peers ,” said Dr . Fabisiak , Director of the Chillon Project .
Chillon Student Testimonials and Ongoing Advocacy
Many students educated in the Chillon Project leave prison with a sense of accomplishment and empowerment , eager not only to improve themselves but also to
Alumni . life . edu | 2022
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