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PHOTO: Ribbon-cutting at the Doris Buffett Higher Education Center at Maine State Prison in Warren, from left, Maine DOC Commissioner Randall Liberty; UMA graduate and Sunshine Lady Scholar Shaun Libby; Deborah Meehan, executive director of UMA Centers; Jessica Johnson, senior architect, SMRT Architects and Engineers. (Maine Department of Corrections photo)
AUGUSTA — The University of Maine at Augusta and the Maine Department of Corrections recently held a virtual celebration and opening of the Doris Buffett Higher Education Center at the Maine State Prison, in Warren.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the end of the renovation project at the prison and was a celebration of the 15-year partnership between UMA, the Department of Corrections and the Sunshine Lady Foundation, which provided the grant funding for the $500,000 improvements.
The grant extends the legacy of the late Doris Buffett, of Rockport, who died in August. UMA began providing educational opportunities at the the prison in 2006, in collaboration with Buffett. Since then, 130 degrees have been awarded, fully funded by the Sunshine Lady Foundation until Pell funding became available in 2016.
Participants in the virtual event included, UMA President Rebecca Wyke, Maine DOC Commissioner Randall Liberty, Warden Matthew Magnusson, Executive Director of the Sunshine Lady Foundation Mitty Beal and Katy Grant, Department of Corrections adult educational and vocational services manager. Also taking part in the event were Sunshine Lady Scholars Charlie Jones, who earned a bachelor of arts in Liberal Studies from UMA in 2016 and Daniel Porter, who is anticipated to receive a bachelor ofaArts in Liberal Studies from UMA this year.
“We are honored to receive this support from the Sunshine Lady Foundation,” Deborah Meehan, executive director of UMA Centers said in a news release. “This funding is an acknowledgement of the long-standing partnership with the Maine Department of Corrections and our mutual goals of improving the lives of Maine’s DOC residents.”
Beal added, “Doris was personally committed to the UMA college program at the Maine State Prison and she would be thrilled to have this improved educational space created in her honor.”
Liberty said that “the education, the partnership, the investment in an individual’s future should never be in short supply. Through the commitment of Mitty Beal and the Sunshine Lady Foundation, along with the dedication of the UMA faculty and staff, it will never have to be.”
Wyke said, “UMA’s Prison Education Program furthers our university’s mission of making a college education accessible to all. These educational experiences are invaluable to the prison residents, reducing their recidivism rates and improving their employment opportunities upon release.”
The renovations resulted in dedicated physical space for educational programming with improved technology. SMRT Architects and Engineers designed the project and Penobscot Construction completed the renovations, within budget and on time. Classes in the renovated space began last week.
Most recently, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, through its Future of Higher Learning in Prison grant program awarded UMA a $941,000 grant in support of its Prison Education Partnership.
