A private school in Ohio, Ashland University, gives incarcerated individuals across the United States “second chances” to improve themselves by earning college degrees.

Four people at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, recently graduated from the program. 

But some students here have faced roadblocks enrolling in and completing the program, due in part to technology challenges. The university has also been accused of mismanaging its finances and manipulating student transcripts. 

What graduates have to say

Rodney Paris had a positive experience with Ashland University. 

“This [program] has given new meaning to life on the outside,” said Paris, who graduated last summer and was released from prison shortly afterward. 

He plans to continue Ashland classes at home, with the goal of completing a bachelor of arts in applied communication. Paris said he studied 15 to 30 hours a week while also training in a vocational barbershop and licensing program and assisting with religious services at Clinton. 

“It gave me the ability to push myself to be a better student, person and father of two toddlers,” Paris said.

Adam Warne became Clinton’s first Ashland University graduate in January 2023, when he completed an associate degree in general studies. 

“The hardest thing for me was time management,” Warne said. 

Warne held a cellblock porter job while working toward his degree. He and other students had to deal with COVID-19 restrictions and a two-week security lockdown that stopped all facility movement and interrupted weekly meetings with Hunter Bruno, Ashland’s site director at Clinton. 

In these meetings, Bruno discussed schedules, helped students with confusing federal financial aid paperwork, and encouraged them to “keep up the good work.” He’s been happy to see participation growing each year. 

In spring 2023, a dozen students were enrolled at Clinton. Bruno said that over 3,000 incarcerated students are enrolled in Ashland’s courses in correctional facilities across the country and that many more interested individuals await federal aid. 

In coordination with the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, the education program also offers a huge incentive. Students who complete 12 or more credits can earn six months “good time” to cut down their sentences. 

That tempted Chris Rustici, who now has just 30 months remaining before his release.

“That six months really helps,” Rustici said. Computer learning fit his schedule perfectly. “I always wanted to get a college degree, but I’m not good in a classroom setting.” Rustici majored in applied communication with minors in sociology and business administration. He had a busy schedule, working many hours as a porter and laundry worker. Still, he devoted about 14 hours a week to his studies.

The fourth graduate, Troy Williams, has big plans about how to use his degree when he is back home.

“I want to start a business,” said Williams, who is studying applied communication and business to learn how to become a successful entrepreneur.

Problems with Ashland University

Despite the advantages, some restrictions make enrolling in college difficult at Clinton.

For one, only incarcerated individuals with 10 years or less remaining on their sentences are eligible. Clinton is a maximum security facility that houses many long-term incarcerated individuals, some of whom have been there since 1970 and are serving life sentences. 

A second issue is that students are denied transfers to other facilities while enrolled. That kept Poughkeepsie resident Ryan Williams away. He said he had earned college credits in society and spoke to Bruno about Ashland’s program. In the end, he didn’t want to miss his opportunity for a transfer to a better facility. 

A spokesperson said in an email that Ashland University is not responsible for the approval or denial of transfers. “We do, however, work closely with the correctional institution to minimize transfers during a semester so that student coursework and GPA are not interrupted or adversely affected,” the spokesperson said. 

Others claim that Ashland’s asynchronous-based model is limiting to incarcerated students, who must submit all assignments and communications with instructors through an app.

Technology issues affected this writer. I am 68 years old and haven’t attended a college class in over three decades. I worked nearly 20 years in newspaper journalism and have an associate degree in the field, but computers are my enemies. I abandoned the Ashland program after one semester due to frustrations with my JPay device. 

JPay’s services have frustrated many incarcerated individuals at Clinton. According to the March 2023 edition of “Pro Se,” a bimonthly newspaper published by Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York, JPay was fined $50,000 by the New York attorney general in 2022 because of its “failure to provide adequate media and communication services to incarcerated individuals housed in DOCCS facilities.” The company acknowledged its failure and has been more closely monitoring issues since.

But according to reporting by The Marshall Project, it seems even bigger problems may plague Ashland University. The reporting showed that before being selected to participate in a Trump-era financial aid initiative for incarcerated students, the university was $70 million in debt and cited by the state of Ohio for transcript manipulation. A group of New York state senators added to the criticism, stating “grave concerns” over the DOCCS decision to contract with Ashland.

More recently, Ashland University was fined $6 million by the U.S. Department of Education for “improper Pell packaging and return of Title IV funds.” According to court documents, Ashland University may have used the wrong formula when calculating Second Chance Pell funds, distributing money based on a 30-week program when their program consists of a 24-week academic calendar.In September, Ashland University responded by filing a complaint in U.S. District Court, stating that this financial burden will adversely affect its students — “particularly incarcerated students. It remains to be seen how the federal fine and its fallout will impact Ashland’s incarcerated students.