SUNY Adirondack offers 'Business of Life' at county jail

QUEENSBURY, New York (Nov. 19, 2025) — SUNY Adirondack on Nov. 13 proudly celebrated culmination of a life skills course with eight incarcerated individuals at Warren County Jail.

Dubbed “The Business of Life,” the grant-funded program provided a 15-hour course that uses business-related concepts as a vehicle for personal and professional self-exploration.

“The Business of Life is about more than completing a class — it’s about helping people imagine a future for themselves,” said Mike Prutsman, dean for Extended Programs at SUNY Adirondack. “When we invest in education for incarcerated learners, we invest in stronger families, stronger communities and a stronger workforce.”

Funded by a SUNY’s Office of Higher Education’s Prison’s Equity Fund grant, the program was the first of nine cohorts offered the life skills program at Warren County Jail. The students explored pathways to careers through engagement with higher education programs, and were connected with SUNY's Office of Higher Education in Prison's Transition Services program, which assists students with the college enrollment process after their release. 

“I’m grateful for the work done by SUNY Adirondack’s prison education program and Sheriff [Jim] LaFarr’s team,” said Liza Ochsendorf, Warren County director of Workforce Development. “We know the No. 1 deterrent to re-offending is having a good job. We are here to assist current and formerly incarcerated individuals in their educational, training and employment endeavors because everyone has skills to contribute to society if they can just access the right tools and resources while making good choices along the way.”

National data indicate a nearly 50 percent reduction in recidivism for incarcerated individuals who engage with higher education and training. 

SUNY Adirondack was awarded $37,772 through the grant. Around $20,000 was used to upgrade instructional spaces at Washington Correctional Facility, where SUNY Adirondack offers a Second Chance Pell program for incarcerated individuals. 

The remaining $18,000 is being used on The Business of Life, which was developed in large part by Bob Bullock, an instructor of Business at SUNY Adirondack who also teaches in the college’s Second Chance and Early College Career Academy programs.

“Participants in the first program showed determination, curiosity and a real desire to build something better for themselves,” Bullock said. “SUNY Adirondack is proud to stand beside them as they take these steps, and we look forward to continuing this work in partnership with Warren County Jail and SUNY’s Office of Higher Education in Prison.”