ELKO — Great Basin College has been selected as one of 73 colleges and universities to participate in the latest round of the nation-wide Second Chance Pell Experiment, joining such institutions as San Diego State University, University of Idaho, Alpena Community College in Michigan, and the University of New Mexico among others.
Falling under the US Department of Education’s Experimental Sites Initiative, the Second Chance Pell for Incarcerated Students Experiment provides an academic lifeline by assisting individuals to gain access to higher education.
Since 2015, the program has grown to 200 institutions across the country.
GBC Vice President of Student and Academic Affairs Jake Rivera commented, “This is great news for access to postsecondary education in Nevada. Second Chance Pell not only provides college access, but prepares incarcerated people for Nevada’s workforce through various career-specific training accessible while in prison. This is not only beneficial to those incarcerated, but I think of the families and communities who are impacted positively through access to these educational opportunities.”
The college applied to participate in the program and, after careful review by the US Department of Education, was selected. Great Basin College is the only institution representing the state of Nevada.
“It is a great honor and privilege to be selected to participate in the Second Chance Pell and to be one of 200 institutions nationally invited to participate,” said Scott Nielsen, GBC Student Financial Services Director. “We have some additional paperwork to fill out and training to attend before we will be allowed to offer Pell grants to incarcerated students. However, we should be fully participating in this experiment by this next fall 2022 semester.”
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona added, “The expansion of Second Chance Pell and these new pathways out of default are critical steps for incarcerated individuals to be able to access educational opportunities that will provide second chances to build a future.”
Great Basin College, “The Gold Standard in the Silver State”, offers associate and bachelor’s degrees in academic, career, and technical education areas.
GBC serves students enrolled online from across the country and on campuses and centers across 86,500 square miles, two time zones, and ten of Nevada’s largest counties. Branch campuses also serve the communities of Battle Mountain, Ely, Pahrump, and Winnemucca. Satellite centers are located in nearly 20 communities across rural Nevada.
Great Basin College border Arizona, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and California.