March 2024

Southside Virginia Community College/Campus Within Walls has received a Strengthening Community Colleges grant through the Department of Labor. The goal of this initiative is to increase capacity and equity through a Workforce/Instruction Reentry Department designed for incarcerated individuals within one year of release. “Since 1985, the Campus Within Walls program has been an integral part of SVCC’s mission impacting the lives of many and preparing them for reentry. We are delighted to be the recipient of this grant providing us with the opportunity to strengthen and enlarge our program,” commented Dr. Quentin R. Johnson, SVCC President.

Through support of this grant, SVCC is expanding access to quality, sustainable, post-secondary

education in correctional facilities, prisons, and jails throughout central Virginia by providing opportunities for justice impacted individuals.

This grant has enabled SVCC to expand the CWW staff. The staff is currently working with Baskerville Correctional Center, Lunenburg Correctional Center, Nottoway Correctional Center, State Farm Correctional Center and the Virginia Correctional Center for Women with plans to incorporate other institutions in the program.

CWW Staff (from left to right): Latoria Brandon, Judy Owen, Bridget Powell and Amanda Cox

New initiatives are underway, including the establishment of an advisory board consisting of second chance employers who provide employment opportunities to previously justice impacted individuals. Advisory board members represent the following companies:

Jones Electric - South Hill, Virginia

Comfort Systems - South Boston, Virginia

Pen-Mac Staffing Agency - South Hill, Virginia

Total Image Solutions - South Hill, Virginia

Nucor Buildings Group - LaCrosse, Virginia

South Hill Auto Glass - South Hill, Virginia

If you work for a company that hires or is interested in hiring second chance employees and would like to be involved, please reach out to Amanda Cox at 434-949-6604 or Amanda.cox@southside.edu.

The grant provides for curricular improvements including a revised student success course as well as a mobile heating, air, and electrical (HVAC) training house on a trailer. The “Tiny House” will travel to different institutions and provide HVAC training to those close to release.

I was born and raised in Cumberland County, and I attended Longwood University for my bachelor's degree in mathematics, along with my master's degree in school leadership. I received my certificate to teach dual enrollment courses in 2021. I have been teaching mathematics at Cumberland High School for twenty-six years and have been teaching dual enrollment classes for the last three years.

Amanda Cox, the Campus Within Walls (CWW) coordinator, reached out to me about teaching college math classes through SVCC at our local prisons and I have been doing so since summer 2023.

Teaching with CWW has been a wonderful experience and I enjoy it tremendously. All the students I have taught are very respectful and they work hard to complete work. The students are always willing to learn and seem to enjoy attending classes. Teaching with CWW at Virginia Correctional Center for Women and State Farm Correctional Center has been an extremely positive experience.

Classes are being offered in 5 institutions

29 individual classes are being taught

140 students are taking classes

Support Our Campus Within Walls Program

Carole Wallace does! Carole retired as warden at Lunenburg Correctional Center (LCC). While at LCC she supported Campus Within Walls and helped our staff build the program. Now she supports the program through a scholarship designed for students at LCC. A special thanks to Carole and many others who know the value of CWW.