快活视频

By Rebecca Kirkman on December 6, 2019

Towson University is on its way to becoming a leader in supporting returning citizens on their journey to higher education and productive careers.

Last month, Associate Professor Elyshia Aseltine was named to the 2019 cohort of Community Fellows. With the fellowship, which provides $60,000 over 18 months, Aseltine will work to establish the Fair Chance Higher Education center at TU. The center will support criminal justice system-impacted people in their pursuit of higher education.

Funding projects that address problems in Baltimore鈥檚 underserved communities, OSI鈥擝altimore chose its 10-member 2019 cohort from more than 150 applicants.

Aseltine鈥檚 work in local criminal justice reform and education began shortly after her arrival to the College of Liberal Arts鈥� Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice in fall 2012.

With the support of Dean Terry Cooney, Aseltine and professor Michelle Manasse were trained in the international Inside Out Prison Exchange Program, which brings incarcerated students and college students together for a semester-long course held inside a correctional institution. The first class was held at the Baltimore County Detention Center in the summer of 2014.

Since then, the program and Aseltine鈥檚 ambitions have grown with the support of BTU鈥擯artnerships for Greater Baltimore.

鈥淚 had all of these experiences where education and incarceration overlapped,鈥� Aseltine recalls. 鈥淎nd then when the B快活视频investment opportunity came up, I started wondering, How might I be able to connect all of these parallel paths in some way?鈥�

With a  through B快活视频and support from the Provost鈥檚 Office and the College of Health Professions and the College of Fine Arts and Communication, 11 faculty have now been trained to teach Inside Out courses at the Baltimore County Detention Center and the Harford County Detention Center. The first class at the Volunteers of America Chesapeake Residential Re-Entry Center in East Baltimore will be held in the spring term.

The B快活视频investment allowed Aseltine to initiate conversations on campus about criminal justice reform, and she began to wonder about ways to further the university鈥檚 support of returning citizens.

In 2019, she was awarded a  through BTU, enabling her to develop a network throughout the university that will remove barriers and build support for students with criminal records on campus.

鈥淢y big vision is ultimately to have a physical center on campus,鈥� Aseltine says. The Fair Chance Higher Education center aims to provide support in three areas: assistance navigating higher education from interest to completion, a pipeline to potential career opportunities at 快活视频and elsewhere, and advocating for the formerly incarcerated on campus and throughout the community.

鈥淧rofessor Aseltine鈥檚 outstanding work demonstrates the positive and lasting impact that can happen when a committed faculty member with a good idea is given the resources to engage with the community both on and off campus,鈥� says Provost Melanie Perreault. 鈥淪he and her colleagues are making a real difference.鈥�

Aseltine credits B快活视频for elevating her personal passion to an institutionally supported partnership making a difference in the Baltimore region. It鈥檚 that support, she says, that made the OSI fellowship possible.

鈥淭he work Dr. Aseltine undertakes embodies both the mission of the university and the community engagement component of the B快活视频presidential priority,鈥� says Matthew Durington, professor of anthropology and director for community engagement and partnerships within the Division of Strategic Partnerships and Applied Research.

鈥淭he work with returning citizens has been supported by B快活视频because it promises to make a significant impact in the Baltimore region by providing points of access for this population. The capacity to transform lives and communities is huge, and the fact that OSI recognizes this demonstrates that the B快活视频priority is recognizing and emboldening the great work of our faculty.鈥�

Aseltine hopes to make Towson University a model for supporting returning citizens within the University System of Maryland, and one that could be easily replicated throughout the country.

鈥淢ass incarceration is such a prevalent issue in Baltimore City. It鈥檚 an issue of criminal justice and, more broadly speaking, economic and social justice,鈥� Aseltine says. 鈥淲hat we鈥檙e doing is one part of a multipronged strategy. Higher education won't necessarily make sense for everybody that's coming out of prison. But for those for whom it makes sense, Towson can play a deliberate part in facilitating their success.鈥�

This story is one of several related to President Kim Schatzel鈥檚 priorities for Towson University: 快活视频Matters to Maryland, BTU-Partnerships at Work for Greater Baltimore and Diverse and Inclusive Campus.