Corrections Leadership Scholarship Program

Corrections Leadership Scholarship Program

The Corrections Leadership Scholarship Program is a Corrections Workforce Development Pathways (CWDP) partnership between the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) and Peru State College. The goal of the program is to develop students to become leaders as NDCS employees. This program provides scholarships to Peru State College criminal justice students who are completing a degree while working at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution (TSCI) during the school year and summer.

Read more about the Corrections Leadership Scholarship Program and the first Peru program graduates here.

Some of the program's benefits include:​

  • $15,000 in tuition and a stipend annually to students who choose a career in criminal justice.
  • While completing classwork in pursuit of their degree, students build a career in correctional services working as paid interns at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution (TSCI).
  • Students complete the NDCS Staff Training Academy, where they learn about various components that are essential to corrections – including reentry, clinical treatment, behavioral health, classification, legal issues, CPR/first aid, self-defense techniques and more. 
  • Program participants have an opportunity for full-time employment with NDCS after graduation.

Peru State College, located in southeastern Nebraska, is the state's first college. Established in 1867, it has transformed over the past 150 years into a state-of-the art institution offering diverse, multifaceted educational programs to around 2,400 students. 

TSCI is located 36 miles west of Peru State College and 55 miles southeast of Lincoln, NE. The facility is a mixed custody facility that houses medium, maximum and inmates sentenced to the death penalty. Offenders incarcerated at TSCI can take educational courses to earn a GED, gain an adult basic education and even participate in college correspondence courses. Inmates may receive substance abuse treatment and participate in parenting courses. TSCI offers vocational training in laundry, carpentry, and maintenance.

For more information about the Corrections Leadership Scholarship Program, visit Peru State College.