David Skorton, president of Cornell University, stood at the front of the lecture hall, preparing to speak.

However, instead of Cornell students and faculty, or other university presidents, Skorton looked out upon an audience of inmates at the Auburn Correctional Facility.

“Education has completely changed my life,” Skorton told them.

Skorton inspired and entertained about 50 inmates at the ACF Tuesday as part of a lecture series offered by Cornell. Within moments of his arrival, prisoners were laughing at Skorton's stories about being a shoe salesman in his father's shop before he went to school and became a physician. They listened intently to his advice to take care of their health, volunteer to help others, make life positive and believe in themselves.

Skorton, speaking on topics raised by inmates, was the first in a series of speakers who will lecture to Auburn “prison students” during the 2009-2010 academic year. The lecture series is part of the Cornell Prison Education Program, established in 1999.

Prison students brought up a range of topics, including U.S. domestic policy, funding for education and the arts. They also voiced concerns about their futures and spoke of their appreciation for CPEP.

“Stay in the program,” said Skorton to the prison students. “Criticize us if we can do better. Pursue education as far as you can and believe in it.”

CPEP was created to offer prisoners at the ACF and the Cayuga Correctional Facility in Moravia the chance to take college courses and eventually pursue and earn an associate's degree from CCC. Full-time prison students at ACF have taken up to 24 college-level classes per year, including Genetics, Reading of Drama and Topics in Mathematics. Classes are taught voluntarily and without compensation by Cornell faculty, postdoctoral instructors and graduate students. Credits are earned through Cornell and then transferred to CCC so that prison students may earn an associate's degree from the community college.

Jim Schechter, last year's CPEP executive director, there are 35 full-time prison students and 55 part-time students at ACF. At CCF, there are 20 students total and one class per semester. The summer and fall courses are being taught and assisted by two tenured faculty members, one Mellon postdoctoral fellow, two visiting fellows, 22 graduate students and 38 undergraduate teaching assistants.

CPEP has had a profound effect on the daily lives of the prison students. According to CPEP's 2008-2009 annual report, the program improves the prison students' confidence, communication skills and openness to other perspectives.

Gerrod Bennett, an ACF prison student enrolled in Biology, Anthropology and Constitutional Law, said of CPEP, “It's a lot of work, but it's a blessing also ... School gave me a sense of pride and belonging.”

Another ACF prison student, Jacob Russell, is taking Basic Math (a non-credit course), Autobiography, Entrepreneurship and Strategy of the American Legal System. Russell said his instructors are very patient and adept at finding ways to convey course material - especially the math teachers.

“These people put faith in us,” he said. “They put their reputation on the line because people think we can't do it (take college classes).”

Russell spoke of how he can see concepts “click” in his classmates' heads as they sit together and learn about how to start a business in the entrepreneurship class. “They don't look at us as convicts,” Russell said of his instructors. “They look at us as people.”

According to CPEP's 2008-2009 annual report, the program is currently funded through support of Cornell, in the form of volunteer time of faculty and students and some financial support; financial aid from The Sunshine Lady Foundation; donations from individual supporters; and in-kind donations from private companies, such as lab303.com, a graphics firm, and Hackett Publishers, a textbook company. Schechter noted the program is not funded by tax dollars.

Also present at Tuesdays lecture were Pete Wetherbee, professor of English and the founding director of the program and the current faculty director; Cayuga Community College President Daniel Larson; and Mary Katzenstein, professor of government and last year's CPEP faculty director.