The Austin E. Knowlton Foundation, a philanthropic organization that provides support for schools and students, gifted the Augustana Prison Education Program (APEP) a million-dollar grant and a ten-year commitment. This grant will provide $100,000 annually to grow the program’s resources, including a computer lab and a more expansive library material collection. 

According to an article in the Quad-City Times, in addition to the grant from the Knowlton Foundation, the federal government’s Second Chance Pell Experiment provides need-based college tuition money to those incarcerated. APEP is the first to qualify in the state of Illinois. 

The Augustana Prison Education Program was launched in the fall of 2021 in the East Moline Correctional Center by Dr. Sharon Varallo, a communications studies professor at Augustana College. 

“Prisons are not educational institutions,” Varallo said. “So to get in there and be able to do the things we’re doing is kind of a miracle and during COVID. But we were able to do it.” 

Since the program’s first semester in the fall of 2021, the number of students enrolled in the program has increased, with a total of ten students in the first year and 24 students in the second year. The program offers a variety of courses from multiple departments. 

“We have offered everything from English literature to creative writing classes, to biology, physics, economics and communication studies,” Varallo said. 

Dr. Jason Mahn is a professor of religion at Augustana and has been a faculty member of APEP since its initial launch. He has taught RELG 150 Encountering Religion, a class taught at Augutsana’s main campus and East Moline correctional center. 

“This grant gives us a more long-term vision,” Mahn said. “Coupled with the Second Chance Pell, that means this program is here to last.” 

Senior Gavinya Wijesekera, a student assistant and tutor at APEP, has been working closely with the program and Varallo since the fall of 2021. Her work as a tutor with the students in the program has given her a perspective on the importance of the work being done by APEP. 

“It’s a way that we give a little bit of their humanity back to them,” Wijesekera said. 

Professor Donna Hare teaches communication studies at Augustana and taught a first-year inquiry class in the prison last fall. Hare is continuing to teach a communications class in the spring at APEP. From her experience teaching at APEP, she appreciates the eagerness of the students to learn. 

“Student-wise, it’s been fantastic because you walk into a classroom where every single person in the room wants to be there and is excited to be there,” Hare said. “I teach writing at 8:30 in the morning, and I can’t tell you the liveliness of the students … they’re excited to be in this space.” 

One of the classes taught at APEP last fall was a creative writing class by Professor Rebecca Wee, who teaches poetry, first-year inquiry and creative writing at Augustana. At the end of this class, the students put together a book with poems and writings from each student with cover art designed by one of the students in the class. 

“They were a really interesting group to work with and talented writers,” Wee said. 

The program continues to grow, with new faculty members joining to teach this spring semester. With the help of the Knowlton Foundation and other donors, Varallo will continue to increase students’ enrollment in the program. 

“The grant ensures that we can get students each year and have the funds to ensure that we can offer them the courses that they need,” Varallo said.