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When Jerome Anderson II decided to come to Chicago from Ohio to reconnect with his father, Jerome Anderson Sr., he did so with a list of goals in mind. One of those goals was earning a master’s degree, but he wasn’t sure how he’d achieve that.

“My dad came home one evening and he asked, ‘Son, how do you feel about getting a master’s degree? About us getting our master’s together?’ Anderson II said. “I was like ‘Yeah! I’m for it!’ I saw it as a challenge. I saw it as a moment that can shine a light on our community and on our world — a father and son getting their master’s together.”

On May 16, 2025, they crossed the stage together during �����о���’s Commencement, as candidates for master’s degrees in Urban Community Studies. The program is housed at the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood.

Just a few years prior, Anderson Sr. had seen a presentation by �����о���n Professor of Educational Inquiry and Curriculum Studies Lance Williams, Ph.D. (M.A. ’96 Inner City Studies, now known as Urban Community Studies) at a men’s empowerment program in Bronzeville. Dr. Williams, who many students call “Dr. Lance,” shared how ,  a nonprofit community health organization focused on violence prevention, offers full and partial scholarships to people who work in community violence intervention to attend �����о���n to earn bachelor’s and graduate degrees.

“Dr. Lance was telling us about opportunities to go to school to get a bachelor’s and master’s degree pretty much for free,” Anderson II said. “Honestly, I didn’t take it seriously. Getting a degree for free doesn’t sound too believable, because nothing’s really free in life. I come to find out he and my dad had a conversation and there were opportunities to be part of the program through Acclivus and get a master’s degree in Urban Community Studies. If you were working in the community you were eligible.”

Anderson II and Anderson Sr. were separated for most of Anderson II’s childhood and early adulthood. Anderson Sr. was incarcerated for 24.5 years. During his first year out of prison, he saw his son graduate from Bowling Green State University with his bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration. Anderson Sr., who took advantage of courses offered while he was incarcerated, went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Roosevelt University and founded a nonprofit, Home for Good, which helps people who have been in jail, prison or halfway houses reacclimate into society with access to housing, financial literacy and workforce development. Since its founding, Anderson Sr. estimates the organization has helped around 200 people gain access to jobs, education and have stable places to live.

“I saw the potential in rehabilitation and knew that other people could change their mindset and also change their reality,” Anderson Sr. said. “I wanted to create a path that gave people opportunity.”

Dr. Williams is proud of what the Andersons have accomplished and believes that with their master’s degrees in hand, their impact will be even greater.

“Since joining our program, the Andersons have earned the deep respect of both faculty and peers for their unwavering commitment to confronting the devastating effects of systemic marginalization in our communities,” Dr. Williams said. “They engage with complex ideas and critical questions in a highly thoughtful, intelligent and productive manner. It’s clear that their insight stems from a rich and deeply rooted identity as activist-scholars. We have all benefited tremendously from their on-the-ground experiences. In every aspect, academic performance, research contributions and student leadership, they have been truly exemplary.”

Assistant Professor of Educational Inquiry and Curriculum Studies Sunni Ali-Howard, Ed.D. was the Andersons’ advisor as well as their teacher.

“This father-and-son tandem clarified the meaning, significance and importance of our University's legacy, mission and intent,” Dr. Ali-Howard said. “They added so much content, depth, and life experience to our curriculum that it confirmed, celebrated, and acknowledged the work put into developing CCICS and the Inner City Studies and Urban Community Studies programs. Both men illuminate what is meant by the word ‘resilience’ and how our University has always supported and enhanced the students from our communities and the city of Chicago.”

Anderson II currently works with his father at Home for Good. They took all the same classes and called the experience of working and learning together “everything.” 

“I know it doesn’t make up for the time I lost with my son, but to be able to do this with him, it means much more than if I were doing it by myself,” Anderson Sr. said. “This is one of my greatest accomplishments.”

Jerome Anderson II (left) and Jerome Anderson Sr. (right)

An alumnus inspiring alumni 

The Andersons were two in a cohort of students whose education was funded by Acclivus, Inc. The organization was co-founded by Joseph Strickland, Ph.D., and double �����о���n alumnus LeVon Stone Sr. (B.A. ’13 University Without Walls, M.A. ’15 Inner City Studies) in 2010. Stone reactivated the organization in 2018. The Acclivus, Inc. cohort at �����о���n was established by Stone in collaboration with Dr. Williams, who has more than 28 years of personal and professional experience as an educator, street gang interventionist and scholar with a focus on gangs.

The impetus to create a scholarship program through Acclivus, Inc. came about when Stone was employed with CeaseFire (known today as Cure Violence) and noticed that he and many of his justice-impacted colleagues were working hard and achieving successes in community violence intervention. However, they were being overlooked for promotions and other leadership opportunities because they didn’t have advanced degrees.

“I knew we had to figure out a way to close that gap,” Stone said.

At the time, CeaseFire was a unit of the School of Public Health at the University of �������s Chicago, where Dr. Strickland is the associate director of the Jane Addams Center for Social Policy and Research. Dr. Williams was a guest speaker at UIC and talked about the work he was doing at �������n. As a UIC employee, Stone was able to utilize a tuition waiver benefit to enroll at �������n.

Like many first-time college students, Stone didn’t fully understand the process to register for classes. He filled out the application, dropped off the check, but didn’t know how to register for classes. With the help of Dr. Williams and �����о���/Program Advisor Nekenya Walker, Stone was able to register and went on to become a double alumnus of the University.  He saw such value in his education that he has made it his goal to help others have the same opportunity and began working with Dr. Williams to bring his vision into reality.

“Many graduates have received promotions to leadership roles at Acclivus and other organizations or moved on to create their own agencies or businesses,” Stone said. “I appreciate Dr. Lance for seeing something in us, then working with us to leverage our
relationships with returning citizens and creating a program that offers them opportunities
to be even greater, more productive members of society.”

LeVon Stone Sr. 

Finding purpose through pain

Gwendolyn Baxter is an Acclivus, Inc. Hospital Response Team program manager. Baxter also crossed the stage during the May Commencement ceremony as a candidate for a Bachelor of Arts in University Without Walls, a nontraditional degree program that recognizes that learning can occur outside of the traditional classroom.

Baxter is a breast cancer survivor and founder of , an organization for mothers who’ve lost their children to violence. Baxter’s son, Larry Harper, was killed in 2003. As part of her work with Acclivus, Inc., she goes to hospitals whenever someone has experienced a violent trauma to help the victim and their family.

“My husband tells me I go through trauma everyday, a mental trauma” Baxter said. “It’s true. I see people being shot. Despite what I’ve been through, seeing the work that Acclivus does helped me with that trauma and even my own grief. I don’t want another mother to feel what I felt when my son was gunned down because of senseless shootings in Chicago helps me heal too. I wouldn’t want another mother to feel that. I wouldn’t want my worst enemy to feel that. It’s a pain that can’t be explained. It’s a dark place. When I go to the hospital and a victim has passed away and I hear that mother scream, I can relate to that. A mother can be comfortable with the things that I share with her because I know the hurt. I know the pain.”

Baxter is grateful to be able to use her life experiences in an educational setting, helping her achieve one of her life goals — earning a college degree. She acknowledged that her achievement is in no small part to Stone and Acclivus, Inc.

“I know this works firsthand,” Baxter said. “I know what it does. I’ve seen how it’s helped people, how people’s lifestyles have changed, even the youth.” She continued, “I’m a firm believer in what LeVon is doing and the work we’re doing.”

Gwendolyn Baxter

From the streets to scholars

Stone has first hand experience with the impact of violence. He was shot and paralyzed from the waist down when he was 18 years old. Yet, he doesn’t let that get in his way.

“It ain’t how you start, it’s how you finish,” Stone said.

That’s exactly what Stone wants his employee-scholars to remember — to finish.

Acclivus, Inc. Grand Crossing Site Supervisor Torrence Price shares Stone’s mentality; he likes to finish what he starts. Yet, he was nervous about taking classes to earn his bachelor’s degree.

“I didn’t tell nobody, for a long time, that I was taking these classes for a fear of not finishing it and being judged,” Price said.

Price — who’s married to Janice Jackson, Ed.D., the current CEO of and former CEO of Chicago Public Schools — participated in the May Commencement ceremony as a candidate for a bachelor’s degree through the University Without Walls program. Through the experience, he became motivated to continue his education and wants to earn his master’s degree.

“For me, I’ve been able to help so many different people that I used to run with in the streets get jobs, change their lives, change their perspectives,” said Price.

He now wants to share his story more widely and let people know that anything is possible.

“No matter what you do, no matter how old you are, you can still make an impact not just on the streets, but you can get in them books too and get educated,” Price said.

Stone said that last year, he had enough funds to send 100 people who were working in community violence intervention to �����о���n with scholarships. This year, he hopes funding will come through so he’d be able to offer at least that many students the same opportunities. Then, he hopes enough people will take advantage of the program.

“To me, the biggest reward is seeing this work,” Stone said. “When I first started doing this work over 20 years ago, I volunteered for about three years before I became a full-time employee. So, to me, to work your way up from being a volunteer to running a 501(c)(3), I wanted to be an example to other people — especially other Black people — my colleagues, my friends, my comrades that took the scenic route, to be able to set an example for them to be able to change their lives.” 

Torrence Price
 

Top photo: A group picture of �������n employees with Acclivus, Inc. scholars in the library of the Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies. Front row (from left to right) Nekenya Walker, Torrence Price, LeVon Stone Sr. and Gwendolyn Baxter; back row (from left to right) Jerome Anderson Sr., Jerome Anderson II, Dr. Lance Williams.