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PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Roger Williams University Extension School (91�������� EXT) conferred associate and bachelor’s degrees to 12 graduates at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (RIDOC) John J. Moran Medium Security Facility’s May 20 graduation ceremony, the most degrees 91�������� has awarded annually to incarcerated individuals at the Moran Facility through its Prison Education Program. 

91�������� EXT has partnered with RIDOC to provide educational programming, from degrees to professional certifications, as well as re-entry programs since 2015. In recent years, the partnership has expanded the breadth and reach of educational programs throughout all six of the state’s facilities, enabling the Extension School to teach 12 courses behind the walls as licensed 91�������� educational facilities. The May 20 graduation at the Moran Medium Security Facility represented the first degree-conferring ceremony for the expanded Prison Education Program.

Two graduates earned their 91�������� Extension School bachelor’s degrees in Applied Psychology, each with an embedded undergraduate certificate and induction into the Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society, which recognizes the hard work and dedication of adult, non-traditional students. Additionally, 10 graduates earned their associate’s degrees in Liberal Arts, one of whom had completed his sentence in May and began reintegrating to society with a diploma in hand. Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Margaret Everett welcomed the class and degrees were conferred by 91�������� EXT Dean Gena Bianco.

“Our Prison Education Program is proud to provide opportunities to incarcerated individuals who are committed to their personal and academic growth,” said Bianco. “The success of these graduates demonstrates their perseverance and willingness to keep moving forward. By offering a variety of courses and degree paths, students in the program are given opportunities to explore their full potential and prepare for their next phase in life – and it has a positive ripple effect for the communities they will return to.”

91�������� EXT’s Prison Education Program offers courses such as psychology, academic writing, criminology, and math, and will expand to include certifications for trades careers in the future. The Moran Facility was the first RIDOC institution to host a 2025 graduation ceremony, marking the beginning of this year’s commencement season.

“We’re thankful to partner with higher education institutions to offer courses and programs for our incarcerated population,” said Sheila DiRaimo, Principal and Special Education Director at RIDOC. “It facilitates the successful reintegration for these individuals and develops skills to prepare them for life outside these walls. Education may be the first step toward rebuilding the life they desire.”

For more than two decades, 91��������’s Extension School has been committed to serving the justice-impacted community of Rhode Island and providing access to educational programming that offers personal and professional transformations for incarcerated individuals. The Prison Education Program is one of several partnerships between 91�������� EXT and RIDOC. In 2015, 91�������� EXT established Pivot the Hustle, a program that prepares soon-to-be-paroled individuals to identify talents and pivot their skills to a more career-oriented path upon re-entry to society. And in 2019, 91�������� EXT launched a Prison Correspondence Program in collaboration with the Reentry Campus Program, providing access to justice-involved individuals to complete courses for professional certificates in case management and criminal justice.