Campbell University Prison Education Programming
The Bob Barker Company Foundation (BBCF) became interested in developing a program in North Carolina based on a higher education model in New York, called Hudson Link, that had been proven effective in reducing the rate of recidivism for incarcerated individuals. BBCF reached out to representatives of Campbell University and the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (NCDAC) to gauge their interest in becoming partners in this effort and found both to be very supportive in partnering to provide a higher education opportunity to currently incarcerated offenders. The Campbell University Second Chance Initiative was birthed and a public/private partnership between the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, Campbell University and funders was formed.
NCDAC selected Sampson Correctional Institution, an adult male medium and minimum custody facility, as the inaugural site for the Campbell University Associate of Science in Behavioral Science (ASBS) degree program. The institution, located in Clinton, North Carolina, is approximately 40 miles to Campbell University and has adequate space to meet the needs of the students in Campbell’s ASBS program. There are many buildings within the prison fencing at Sampson Correction. One of these buildings, the Education/Vocation building, has multiple classrooms for basic education and vocational programming. Two classrooms in the Educational/Vocational building have been designated for use for the Campbell University program ASBS program.
In the spring of 2021, several students in the ASBS program at Sampson Correction requested an opportunity to further their education while incarcerated. While this was not the intent of the initial program, leadership at Campbell University, various funding organizations, Sampson Correction and NCDAC worked together to provide a Bachelor of Arts or Science in Communication Studies – Training and Development with a minor in Addiction Studies at Sampson Correction which started in the fall of 2021.
In the Spring of 2023 Campbell University began offering the Associate of Science in Behavioral Science program to female offenders at Anson Correction. Anson Correctional Institution is a medium and closed custody facility which incarcerates adult female offenders is located in Polkton, North Carolina. This is the second correctional site offering the ASBS program. Anson, located approximately 100 miles from Campbell University, will has two large classrooms dedicated to the Campbell program.
Campbell University Partnership with Arise Collective: Re-entry Higher Education Initiative
In January 2023, Campbell University entered into a partnership with Arise Collective, a non-profit organization based in Raleigh, North Carolina whose mission is to equip women with the tools and support they need to heal, grow, and thrive, both in prison and in the communities to which they return. Campbell University serves as the educational partner for this initiative to provide student support services, tutoring, academic advising, and enrollment management for eligible women who are beginning or continuing their education upon re-entry.