History professor teaches prison inmates

By Tara Pizzo
Senior Staff Writer
September 13, 2006

Many students take an interest in the activities or other jobs that some of their professors participate in outside of La Salle. For adjunct professor of history, Roderick Vosburgh, his other job is quite interesting and would probably fascinate many students. When not teaching several history courses at La Salle, such as History 151 and 251, U.S. History, History of the Holocaust and History of Terrorism, Vosburgh spends his time teaching at Graterford Prison, located in Montgomery County. It is the main state prison for the Eastern part of Pennsylvania, consisting of all males.

This is Vosburgh’s first semester teaching at Graterford, where he teaches a course on the history of the Holocaust to actual felons serving time for a variety of reasons ranging from burglary to murder. Vosburgh was actually gracious enough to volunteer since there is such a shortage of professors willing to do this.

“I got an e-mail last spring saying that Villanova, which runs the program at Graterford, was looking for more professors because there was a shortage,” Vosburgh said. “They asked if anyone wanted to volunteer and I stepped forward.”

The prisoners are actually able to receive a degree by participating in this program. Vosburgh mentioned that the program offers courses to allow the prisoners to complete a bachelor of arts degree.

“[The prisoners] get credit through Villanova and they can actually get an entire degree at Graterford. There’s also a graduation ceremony every year where faculty from Villanova come out to give them their degrees,” he said.

Vosburgh is greatly enjoying the experience thus far and encourages other professors to think about teaching a course at Graterford. The program is in need of professors and they offer a variety of subjects to teach.

“I really like it. It’s amazingly worthwhile, largely because the students want to be there. It makes a change for them to get out of their cells so they’re not watching the clock,” Vosburgh said. “They’re not looking for the exit. They want to be there, and, surprisingly, good debates go on in the class and a lot of them are very intelligent,” Vosburgh said.

“Some of them are working on graduate degrees so it’s been pretty rewarding. I’ve had no negative problems there at all.”

He even expressed some of the similarities he has noticed between the adult students he has taught in the past and some of the prisoners.

“When you teach adult students, they’re paying for it themselves and they want to be there and they want your time,” Vosburgh said. They are a little less afraid to get involved. [The prisoners] are not afraid to voice their opinion so the class is very lively.”

The Holocaust course that Vosburgh is teaching at Graterford has proved to be quite controversial with some of his students. The class consists of students from different races , some of whom express anti-Semitic remarks. However, Vosburgh is trying to show his students that they actually have much in common with victims of the Holocaust.

“I don’t say I’m changing minds, but exposing these people to alternatives to looking at [the Holocaust] from a different perspective. Some [students] are starting to identify with victims of the Holocaust,” he said.

Vosburgh said that the prisoners are “voracious” about learning. He feels as though he is helping them to gain a second chance at life.

“A lot of the reason they are who they are is because they have been deprived of the opportunity for education so they do things they shouldn’t,” he said. “If they could get an education, then maybe they won’t re-offend. I think it’s extremely important that they are given the opportunity to better themselves and I would definitely teach them again.”

It’s amazing how dedicated Vosburgh is to teaching these men. He not only wants to teach them about the Holocaust, he wants to help them move on with their lives and gain a solid education. He has put his heart into teaching the prisoners and he strongly believes that these men can turn their lives around and live up to their full potential.

“Socrates says that an educated man is incapable of immorality and once these guys get an education, they are given a skill that they can market when they get out,” Vosburgh said. “Most of these guys are intelligent, but haven’t been given the opportunity in life. They have had bad schooling or dropped out of school and fell in with bad people. All it takes is a structured environment where there is force to make a choice, and when they choose to be educated, they do it whole-heartedly.”

pizzot@lasalle.edu