Muhlenberg Program Enhanced as Part of $20 Million Federal Grant to Allentown
Approximately $1 million of the federal grant is earmarked to expand the College's Inside-Out program and explore other collaborative efforts to support reentry workforce preparedness.By: Kristien Yahna Pennella Tuesday, August 6, 2024 04:24 PM
Muhlenberg’s Community Engagement Librarian Jess Denke and Professor of Psychology Kate Richmond, who co-lead the College’s Inside-Out program, attended the press conference announcing the federal grant.At a press conference attended by federal, state, and local officials on Monday, the City of Allentown announced it would receive approximately $20 million to implement innovative strategies to create good-paying jobs and boost growth in three economically distressed city neighborhoods. The Allentown Recompete Plan will bring together 38 local partners, including Muhlenberg College, to achieve these objectives.
Muhlenberg's Inside-Out initiative has been awarded approximately $1 million over five years to expand and diversify the College’s Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, an ongoing collaboration between Muhlenberg and the Lehigh County Department of Corrections. It will also fund cooperative initiatives aimed at enhancing workforce preparedness for reentry.
The Inside-Out program, co-led by Muhlenberg Professor of Psychology Kate Richmond and Community Engagement Librarian Jess Denke, includes a college class held in the Lehigh County Jail and a collaborative community Think Tank. The program's mission is to leverage education as a tool to end mass incarceration and foster healthier communities within Allentown.
"Engaging with our local community is integral to the College’s mission," says Muhlenberg President Kathleen Harring. "The Inside-Out Program is one of many ways we fulfill our civic responsibilities and our role as an anchor institution in the City of Allentown.”
The Inside-Out course, a hallmark of the program, brings together traditionally-enrolled Muhlenberg students and incarcerated individuals from Lehigh County as classmates in a semester-long college-level course. A recent $231,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education now allows the College to offer course credit to incarcerated participants, creating pathways to sustainable employment and postsecondary education.
Over 100 people, including U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce Alejandra Castillo, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and U.S. Rep. Susan Wild, attended the event announcing the federal funding which will connect people to jobs and break down major barriers to employment.
Muhlenberg has already completed five Inside-Out courses in partnership with the Lehigh County Department of Corrections. With the new funding, the College plans to offer two courses per semester, expanding the curriculum to include topics that align with the Recompete project’s goals.
Following participation in an Inside-Out class and release from the prison, students are invited to join the Muhlenberg College Inside-Out Think Tank, which meets every six weeks, to share a community meal, and to deepen the network as participants work to implement community interventions to support successful re-entry.
"Studies show that people who take college courses while in prison are less likely to end up back in jail and more likely to get and keep jobs once they're out,” says Professor Richmond. “Research also shows that one of the best ways to improve mental health is by giving back to the community. That's why the Think Tank is so important—it helps individuals and communities thrive as they transition back into society."
The City of Allentown Recompete Plan aims to create good-paying jobs in the Franklin Park, Center City, and Wards neighborhoods, improving employment rates in these communities to match the city-wide average by 2030. The plan will invest in expanded training programs, improved transit, increased supply of high-quality affordable childcare, and a network of career coaches to connect residents to these initiatives. Together, these investments will connect these neighborhoods to jobs in the growing healthcare and manufacturing sectors.
“The Inside-Out Program provides our students with invaluable opportunities to connect with people from different backgrounds and to appreciate the richness of the human experience,” says Harring. “Through programs like this, we empower our students to learn from the world around them, foster empathy, and become active participants in building a more inclusive and equitable society."
The Biden-Harris Administration announced six recipients of the Recompete Program, for awards totaling $184 million: Allentown; Puerto Rico; Birmingham, Alabama; Clallam County, Washington; Eastern Kentucky and Wind River, Wyoming.
