For several years, the Antelope Valley College has partnered with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to offer face-to-face instruction in a maximum-security state prison.
This year, the college will see its first 18 graduates of the program.
“Antelope Valley is enormously proud of the graduates and the faculty and staff that have contributed to their hard-earned achievement,” Cathy Hart, interim dean of Community Projects and Extended Learning said. “It is the hope of AVC that these students will be able to continue their education, whether inside or outside of prison and that their paths are forever changed through the transformative power of education.”
The 18 students received their associate degree in communication studies in a ceremony, June 1, at the prison. They achieved this with no access to the Internet or computers — handwriting their work.
The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation hopes to soon equip each college student with a personal laptop computer — still without Internet access, however — to allow them to type their work and request, through a closed system, resource materials and periodicals that will enhance their learning experience.
AV College offers an associate degree-to-transfer in communications studies at three California State Prison, Los Angeles County facilities, with approximately 200 students currently enrolled.
