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Utah Tech Creates Higher Education for Incarcerated Youth Program

For 18-year-old Chase, life is more about where you are headed than where you’ve been. As a former student of Utah Tech University’s Higher Education for Incarcerated Youth Program, Chase’s participation changed his life and opened a door of opportunities.

The Higher Education for Incarcerated Youth Program was created by a talented team of professors at Utah Tech University, in partnership with Utah State legislators, when they recognized a problem facing youth incarcerated at juvenile detention centers. Upon release, these youth typically have a large gap in their education, a gap that could be filled by college courses.

Utah Tech faculty member Nathan Caplin developed HEIY after being inspired by the teaching software already utilized for students living in rural areas. He drafted a proposal to apply that same software and method to incarcerated youth.

“The answer seemed so logical,” Caplin said. “If we are willing to use this technology for rural high schools, why not for incarcerated youth?”

Caplin worked tirelessly with Utah Representative Lowry Snow and Director of Juvenile Justice Services Brett Peterson to create the program and secure state funding. In 2021, the Utah State Legislature passed House Bill 279 , and with Governor Cox’s signature, the program officially began.

“We have our teachers teach in person and then broadcast via Zoom to all the other facilities,” Caplin said. “The in-person instruction allows us to meet students as human beings and talk to them. We are here to help them develop their philosophical understanding of themselves, build their intellect, but most importantly, help them become better people by building up their skills and agency."

Youth are not required to participate in these college courses, but for those who are eager and willing, the program can be life-changing.

“A program like this is so crucial to the rehabilitation of a youth because, before I was locked up, I didn’t even expect to graduate high school,” Chase shared. “I saw my life leading to a long prison sentence, but these programs are giving me a new chance at life. I have more to learn and work toward. I have goals, and every day I am one step closer to my dreams.”

Chase was able to complete nearly 20 credits in just under a year through the HEIY program. Chase credits the program with helping him realize his goals in life and giving him a path by which he can achieve those goals.

Chase dreams of becoming an underwater welder and owning his own business, and with his recent scholarship offer from Weber State University, he is one step closer.

“I want to go from someone who was incarcerated and got into trouble at a young age to someone who can hopefully get paid to do something I want to do,” Chase said. “It doesn’t matter what a person has done in their past life – it is about their future.”

As part of the program, Utah Tech visiting instructor of art, Mollie Hosmer-Dillard, travels to teach art classes at the five juvenile facilities located throughout the state of Utah. She says helping the students realize their dreams and heal through art has been inspiring.

“Part of my job, especially in this setting, is to inspire people to get through the struggle and get to the other side,” Hosmer-Dillard said. “Art has a therapeutic aspect, and it has an incredible power in these places with these youth who have had difficult life challenges and are in a challenging circumstance.”

Homsmer-Dillard aims to build these students’ self-confidence and encourage them to use art as an autotelic experience. “An autotelic activity is an activity that is rewarding for its own sake,” HosmerDillard shared. “In terms of psychology, the more time you spend doing an autotelic activity, the more skill you gain in a task, and it correlates to a person’s sense of well-being. It makes it less likely that a person will need money, status, or power to feel good about themselves.”

The Higher Education for Incarcerated Youth Program has helped 92 young incarcerated students collectively earn more than 800 college credits. Beyond the quantitative numbers, the HEIY program at its core is about bringing hope to these youth and fostering an environment that allows them to dream for the first time, because everyone deserves to dream.

POSITION Defensive Back Favorite Team Raiders

Ken Beazer brings NCAA and conference experience to Utah Tech University Athletics as well as a dedication to helping studentathletes progress and develop in their sports and personal lives. With his longstanding experience and passion for all things sports, the former college football player, past coach, family man, and executive director of intercollegiate athletics at Utah Tech University sat down with us and let us get to know him better.

Did You Always Know You Wanted to Work in Athletics?

Growing up, I always knew I wanted something to do in athletics. My initial goal was to become a sports broadcaster, so my education is in broadcasting, all the way through to a master’s degree. I never envisioned being a director of athletics and didn’t really even know what that was early on. It just kind of morphed into that role, and it’s been a great move for me.

All-around Athlete football, wrestling, track

how did you get into coaching?

I’ve been in athletics for over 25 years and was a student athlete at both Snow College and Weber State University. I went to Washington State University to pursue my master’s in broadcasting and was also a graduate assistant football coach for Mike Price, and that’s where I first got involved with the coaching aspect of football. I thought, “Wow, I really like coaching,” and so I stayed in coaching for a while.

What Brought You to Utah Tech University?

I moved to St. George as executive director of development for the University. I worked a little bit with athletics in that role, especially the transition to Division I and the Greater Zion Stadium West Grandstand addition. When President Williams approached me and asked if I was willing to step in and serve as the interim athletic director, it felt right. During that period of time as the interim, it was like riding a bike, so I decided to apply and was fortunate enough to be awarded the permanent job.

Do You Have a Game-day Routine or Ritual?

I’ve never been a superstitious guy when it comes to athletics. As a student-athlete, however, I definitely had a routine. As a coach, that routine got a little more nebulous because I didn’t have a lot of control over things that happened, and even less so as an administrator. Every game-day is different, so there’s no set pattern or ritual, but one thing that doesn’t go away is the butterflies and nervousness. Whether you’re a student-athlete, coach, or administrator, there is always that uneasiness, yet thrill, of game-day.

As a student-athlete, I was the one who would always study the game plan and put it on my nightstand next to my bed before I went to sleep. The next morning, I would have a routine of getting up, walking around, getting my body loose, then going through some mental preparation. Then I’d have my pregame meal, and ironically, I was one of the few individuals who could take a nap before. I’d go into the locker room, open the locker, lay on my back, place my head in the locker, and I’d actually sleep for 10 minutes or so before the game.

What Does Life Look Like Outside of Work?

Busy. There are a lot of things going on outside of athletics. You strive for a balance because once you become imbalanced in your personal life, everything seems to suffer a little bit. I have a wife, four children, and three grandchildren who keep me grounded. So, outside of athletics it’s things like my family, church service, and so on. I love being with my family.

What is Your Vision for the Future?

We really want this program to continue to move up and be at the next level. That’s our goal and what we’re shooting for. I am really pleased with the success our sport teams achieved this past fall. Every sport made significant improvements and quickly established themselves as viable contenders for future conference championships.

We’re also going to continue to work and build upon our facilities and amenities for our student-athletes and coaches. There will not be a year that goes by where we are not enhancing, renovating, or building some facility in Athletics. There are plans to upgrade all our athletic venues in the very near future that will substantially add to space for our training and competition facilities. For example, the Habibian Center is currently under renovation, and once completed, will feature the new dōTERRA Nutrition Center for all studentathletes. Shortly, we will also announce some exciting news regarding name, image, and likeness opportunities for our student athletes.