UHCL Awarded $300,000 Mellon Grant to Expand Transforming Lives by Degrees Program

Written by: Lauren Sawyer

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Contact: Lauren Sawyer, SawyerL@uhcl.edu, 281-283-2030

Release Date: March 3, 2026

UHCL Awarded $300,000 Mellon Grant to Expand Transforming Lives by Degrees Program

HOUSTON — For most universities, impact is measured in graduation rates and career outcomes. At the University of Houston-Clear Lake, it’s also measured in second chances. Now, a $300,000 investment promises to make those transformations stronger, more connected, and more future-focused than ever before.

UHCL’s College of Human Sciences and Humanities (HSH) has received a three-year, $300,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to expand and deepen its Transforming Lives by Degrees (TLD) program, a nationally recognized prison education initiative offered at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Ramsey Unit.

The grant will enhance academic support, strengthen career readiness, and expand collaborative learning opportunities for the 80 students currently enrolled in TLD, who are pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Humanities and bachelor’s degrees in Behavioral Sciences.

“Our TLD students value and recognize the power of education, as it fundamentally alters the paths they have traveled in the past and allows them to reimagine their futures,” said Dr. Amy Lucas, department chair of communication and social-cultural science and associate professor of sociology. “They graduate not only with a degree, but also with a sense of purpose and a desire to continue learning, developing, and growing,” she continued. “The expanded services and support the program will be able to offer, thanks to the Mellon Grant, will make those reimagined futures more likely to be realized.”

Building Degrees and Futures

Offered face-to-face inside the Ramsey Unit in partnership with Alvin Community College, TLD allows students to complete upper-level coursework toward fully accredited UHCL degrees. Its curriculum mirrors that of the Clear Lake campus, upholding identical academic standards and reinforcing the university’s commitment to excellence and equity in higher education.

But the Mellon-funded expansion goes beyond coursework. A new full-time wrap-around services coordinator will work alongside TDCJ reentry staff, UHCL Career Services, and community partners to help students prepare for life after release — assisting with financial aid paperwork, employment preparation, housing transitions, and access to community resources. The position will also seek additional external funding to sustain and grow the program.

The grant will also fund a Humanities graduate teaching assistant who will provide tutoring, mentoring, and research support, serving as a crucial bridge between incarcerated students and UHCL’s library resources. With anticipated technology upgrades within TDCJ facilities, students are expected to gain greater access to computers and limited internet resources, opening the door to online research databases, digital storytelling tools, and portfolio development in the digital humanities.

Together, these efforts position students not only to earn degrees but to graduate with the communication, critical thinking, and technological skills employers value.

“The TLD program fits the mission of UHCL as a regional comprehensive institution because it’s designed to ensure that we serve all members of our community,” said Dean of HSH Glenn Sanford.

Sanford added that these investments in education have long-term positive effects by reducing recidivism, lowering reincarceration rates, and decreasing reliance on social services, as individuals who leave prison with a college degree are far more likely to become productive members of society and serve as role models demonstrating the transformative power of education.

Collaboration at the Core

Collaboration is foundational to the program’s success. UHCL works closely with Alvin Community College to ensure seamless transitions from associate to bachelor’s programs. Advisors coordinate course planning; faculty from both institutions jointly host graduation ceremonies; and the institutions are launching shared annual security training to streamline faculty access to the unit.

The Mellon Grant will also fund a new Faculty Fellowship designed to strengthen pedagogy and create a TLD Community of Practice, a monthly gathering where faculty teaching inside the unit collaborate, share resources, and refine innovative teaching strategies. The fellowship will help integrate UHCL’s Common Reader program into TLD courses, fostering dialogue between incarcerated students and their peers on the Clear Lake campus.

Through recorded student research presentations, shared discussions, and even art exhibitions featuring incarcerated students’ work in UHCL’s Art Gallery, the program builds intellectual community across physical divides.

A Proven Model, Poised to Grow

TLD’s impact is well established. UHCL participated in the U.S. Department of Education’s Second Chance Pell Grant pilot program and has earned regional recognition for academic excellence and public service. In 2024, the City of Houston and Harris County issued proclamations celebrating the TLD program’s 50th anniversary and its contributions to the region.

The Mellon Grant signals national confidence in UHCL’s approach, one that treats incarcerated students not as statistics, but as scholars.

The College of HSH has demonstrated its long-term commitment by moving key positions into its permanent operating budget, embedding prison teaching into faculty expectations, and prioritizing sustainability beyond the life of the grant.

As UHCL looks ahead, the investment represents more than expanded services. It affirms a philosophy: that rigorous liberal arts education grounded in dialogue, dignity, and community can prepare students for meaningful careers, thoughtful citizenship, and lasting personal transformation.

Behind the walls of a prison classroom, futures are being rewritten. With the Mellon Foundation’s support, UHCL is ensuring those new chapters are built to last.

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About the University of Houston-Clear Lake

Founded in 1974, the University of Houston-Clear Lake is a public, regional comprehensive university located on a 524-acre wildlife and nature preserve near NASA's Johnson Space Center in the Houston Bay Area. In addition to its Clear Lake campus, UHCL has educational locations in Pearland and the Texas Medical Center. UHCL offers a wide range of more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs across its four colleges. These academic programs are designed to equip students with the essential skills and knowledge for success in a dynamic global environment.

With an engaged alumni network of over 83,000, UHCL graduates have generated an estimated $995.9 million in added income for the regional economy, according to a recent economic impact study. These alumni are a testament to the university's significant role in the greater Houston metropolitan area.

For more information, visit uhcl.edu.