Petey Greene Program receives its first endowment

Press Release:  Petey Greene Program Receives Its First Endowment

As incarcerated students become eligible for federal Pell grants, $300,000.00 gift to support education programs in prisons

August 4, 2015:

Long-time board member of the Petey Greene Program, Irwin Silverberg, and his wife Carol, join the Petey Greene Program in announcing their gift of $300,000, to establish the Carol and Irwin W. Silverberg Endowment Fund. The gift will support the Petey Greene Program in bringing university volunteers into prison classrooms to support academic achievement.

Mr. Silverberg, Managing Director at Concept Asset Management and a graduate of Princeton University, stated: “The University’s unofficial motto is: In the Nation’s Service and in the Service of All Nations. This is the essence of the Petey Greene Program. The Program provides students with an experiential learning opportunity that enables them to serve in a true sense, and can ultimately lead to life-long pursuits. For incarcerated students, many serving unnecessarily long sentences, the tutors provide crucial rehabilitative support.”

According to Jim Farrin, Executive Director of the Petey Greene Program, “The Silverberg’s gift is a demonstration of their commitment to education at all levels and their compassion for those who have had few educational opportunities. The endowment will help ensure the sustainability and growth of the Petey Greene Program.”

The Petey Greene Program supplements education in correctional facilities by providing incarcerated students with individualized tutoring. Created and sustained through the generosity of Charles Puttkammer, Princeton University class of 1958 and adopted as a Class of 1958 project, the Petey Greene Program has experienced tremendous growth in recent years. Having begun in 2008 with 20 volunteers from Princeton University, the organization has grown to include over 300 students and community volunteers from 17 universities and colleges in six states. In addition to operating in New Jersey, the Program has sites in Connecticut, Boston, Philadelphia New York City and Washington DC.

The Petey Greene Program has a proven track record of success. A 2013 quantitative analysis by the New Jersey Department of Corrections found that:

* Students who received math tutoring accelerated by more than one full grade level during a semester of tutoring

* Students who received reading tutoring accelerated, on average, by 1.5 grade levels during a semester of tutoring

* Students who were tutored while preparing for their GED achieved a pass rate of 90% versus an 83% pass rate for non-tutored students

Access to higher education in prison is critical, both to facilitate post-release employment and reduce recidivism. An exhaustive 2014 Rand Corporation study concluded that a person’s chance at obtaining a job rose by 13% when they participated in education while incarcerated – those who participate in education programs while in prison are 43% less likely to return to prison than those who did not. Overall, every $1 spent on education reduced the overall cost of incarceration by $4 - $5 over three years.

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