Bill Williams is reporting for WCTW-FM, "The Cat," history was made last week at Greene Correctional Facility in Coxsackie when the first-ever college commencement ceremony was conducted at the prison. Thirteen degrees were conferred to the Greene Correctional Class of 2019, Jan. 17, through the Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison program and Columbia-Greene Community College. The college began working with the non-profit Hudson Link, in 2017, offering the courses required to obtain an Associate of Science degree. Dawn DeFino, associate professor of Human Services at Columbia-Greene, teaches at the state facility. “These are the exact courses taught at C-GCC,” she said, “and the students’ dedication to their studies at Greene is infectious. It encourages me to, at the very least, teach at my best.” The Greene Correctional Class of 2019 joins more than 600 graduates who previously earned degrees through the Hudson Link Higher Education in Prison program during the last 20 years. Greene Correctional is a state prison for men owned and operated by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The facility opened in 1984 and houses 1,582 men in medium security and includes a maximum security unit that houses 171. Read the full press release at 985thecat [dot] heart [dot] com