BMCC Expands Services to Justice-Involved Students Through Second Chance Pell Program

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) has been selected to join a cohort of 67 new institutions through the U.S. Department of Education’s Second Chance Pell experiment, creating more education opportunities for incarcerated students.

Announced by U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, this expansion of the Second Chance Pell experiment of 2015 more than doubles its size. Incarcerated individuals can use Federal Pell Grants at 130 schools in 42 states and the District of Columbia, to enroll in postsecondary programs offered by local colleges and universities or distance learning providers.

“BMCC is privileged to have been accepted to participate in the Second Chance Pell experiment,” says Janice Zummo, assistant dean for Academic Support Services at BMCC. “This aligns with our strategic goals and our strong belief that all students can succeed if given the support to do so.”

The Second Chance Pell experiment is also aligned with Project Impact at BMCC, she says.

Project Impact identifies justice-involved students who are enrolled in an associate degree program at the college, or who are seeking to earn a High School Equivalency (HSE) diploma and then enroll at BMCC. The students have access to peer mentoring, tutoring, counseling, career development and other resources. They belong to a small cohort with dedicated staff, and a close community of support.

“Through Project Impact, we’ve been providing educational services to about 25 students at Rikers Island, but that ceased because of COVID. This would have been our third semester,” says Zummo. “We had another 20 students who are justice involved themselves — or at risk of being incarcerated; who have family members who are incarcerated or live in a neighborhood with a high rate of incarceration — and who attend our high school equivalency class at BMCC in partnership with the N.Y.C. Department of Education.”

Now, she says, Second Chance Pell funding will enable BMCC to build on those efforts and support the educational goals of incarcerated students at the Otisville Correctional Facility in Mount Hope, New York.

She adds that since John Jay College of Criminal Justice already has a relationship with the Otisville facility, students will be able to transition from their associate degree studies through BMCC to a bachelor’s degree program.

“John Jay has been extremely supportive,” says Zummo. “Second Chance Pell students at Otisville who earn their associate degree through BMCC will know there is a four-year college already in place, ready to support the next step in their education. This has a huge impact on reducing recidivism, and makes it possible for students to have viable plans for their educational goals.”

Zummo acknowledges that for now, “while there is social distancing in place in the prison systems because of COVID outbreaks, we are unable to provide educational services on site. Eventually, though, we will again be able to offer face-to-face courses taught by BMCC faculty.”

Related articles: BMCC Symposium Highlights Educational Opportunity for Justice-Involved Students, BMCC Professor Aims to Change Lives of Formerly Incarcerated Students