This week, four men exchanged their prison attire for caps and gowns as part of the Goucher College graduation ceremony at Maryland Correctional Institution-Jessup. In years to come, there is likely to be a lot more pomp and circumstance in fortified compounds guarded by razor wire.

A group of D.C. area colleges and universities are joining together to research ways to reduce gun violence. This coalition of schools, called the 120 Initiative, will explore topics such as social economic issues, impacts of technology, and interactions between law and society.

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Male students of color at the Community College of Baltimore County seek community and support services every day from the Male Student Success Initiative. And this year, the program is expanding. The program, which focuses on increasing retention and academic and career success for men of color, is one of only 15 projects nationwide to receive a $75,000 “takeoff” grant from the University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center.

Last fall, Bowie State became the first historically Black university in Maryland to offer a bachelor’s degree program at a correctional facility, according to college officials. Its fall semester class began this week, for about 20 men studying sociology. A pilot for women incarcerated in a neighboring facility starts this fall, too. 

According to the just-released data, only 13% of students receiving financial aid who start at a community college earn a bachelor's degree within eight years. When 26-year-old Justin B. Smith finished high school in 2015, he didn't even consider attending a four-year college.

People incarcerated in Maryland could soon begin to receive higher education instruction from the state’s university system. The state Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services announced a memorandum of understanding last week with the University System of Maryland to offer courses and classes for incarcerated individuals to receive a bachelor’s degree and credit-based certificates.

Howard Community College President Daria J. Willis has announced plans to reopen the college’s on-campus Children’s Learning Center in partnership with the Community Action Council of Howard County.