News

Approximately 2,000 people are released from Nebraska prisons every year. They return to their families, communities, and a job market that often reads their record before it reviews their resume. The shape of what comes next depends on a long list of variables, but one of the most powerful predictors is whether they had access to education while they were inside.

That is the gap Southeast Community College’s UPWARD Prison Education program was built to close. A partnership between SCC and the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, UPWARD was launched in January 2024 after the federal government reinstated Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students. UPWARD provides college classes, career navigation, and re-entry support inside five southeast Nebraska correctional facilities.

In its first 18 months, the program has served more than 900 students, with nearly 400 enrolled in credit-bearing programs. As of May 2026, UPWARD awarded 165 continuing education credentials, credit certificates, diplomas, and two-year degrees. SCC anticipates a 15-20 percent increase in enrollment in the next six months. 

“This program is about what happens when a college decides that incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students are worthy of high expectations, real investment, and meaningful support,” said Amy Doty, dean of UPWARD. “This work matters because it changes individual lives. It also matters because it changes families, communities, and systems.”

The students do not have an easy path. Taking college classes while incarcerated requires navigating facility schedules, restricted technology, and the mental and emotional weight of confinement; that UPWARD students enroll, persist, and excel under those conditions is the part that surprises people who haven’t watched it happen.

“Pursuing education while incarcerated requires discipline under circumstances most people will never fully understand,” Doty said. “These students are not asking for shortcuts. They are doing difficult work in difficult conditions. They are studying, writing, reflecting, growing, and preparing to return to communities where they want to contribute. They deserve to be seen in that fullness.”

The model SCC has built is wider than the classroom. Along with academic coursework, the program provides career readiness navigation, employer engagement, re-entry planning, and connections to community partners. Behind that work is a community of educators, including 35 faculty and tutors, 10 UPWARD administrators and staff, 10 career readiness navigators, and four student workers.

In 2024, SCC was named the Community Partner of the Year by NDCS. In addition, Doty was named a 2025 Rockwood Leadership Fellow and a Formerly Incarcerated College Graduate Narrative Fellow. These recognitions are a testament to SCC’s commitment toward prison education.

“Our students and alumni are navigating far more than assignments and exams,” Doty explains. “That is why our program is designed to support the whole person. We care about academic success, but we also care about whether someone can get to class, stay enrolled, reconnect with their families, access services, and imagine a future they actually believe they can reach.” 

Jennifer Snyder
Communications Specialist
402-323-3393
jsnyder@southeast.edu