PEOPLE celebrates results

The incoming freshmen class will include 24 graduates of the PEOPLE Program, the first group of participants to enroll at the university.

UW–Madison Chancellor John Wiley, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Paul Barrows and SBC Ameritech Wisconsin President Paul LaSchiazza will honor the group, as well as a group of third-year Milwaukee and Racine PEOPLE students, at a luncheon and graduation ceremony beginning at 11:30 a.m. Friday, July 26. The program begins at noon at the Lowell Center, 610 Langdon St.

“After watching this group work so hard, we’re very excited that many will be coming back to Madison,” says Barrows. “We’re hopeful that they’ll be the first of many PEOPLE graduates who go on to become UW–Madison graduates.”

PEOPLE, which stands for Pre-college Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence, is an innovative partnership between Milwaukee and Racine public high schools and UW–Madison. Madison public schools are also involved at the middle-school level.

Designed for African American, American Indian, Asian American (with emphasis on Southeast Asian American), Hispanic/Latino and disadvantaged students, the program was founded in 1999 as a way for the university to increase diversity and identify students with strong academic potential.

Students participate in year-round sessions at home and at summer sessions at UW–Madison, focusing on academic skills, college classroom experience, campus orientation, and cultural enrichment activities.

Upon high school graduation, PEOPLE students accepted at UW–Madison are eligible for a five-year tuition grant.

Currently, 230 Milwaukee and Racine students are involved in PEOPLE, with 45 in the first graduating class. Of the other 21 members of the group, nearly all will attend college, with many being recruited to out-of-state universities, Barrows says.

More than 300 middle-school students are involved in the Madison PEOPLE program. Next summer, the first class of approximately 100 Madison high school students will join cohorts from Milwaukee and Racine.

The SBC Ameritech Foundation has been a strong supporter of the program, donating $1.5 million in support of Plan 2008, a UW System diversity initiative. Of that grant, $600,000 has helped fund UW–Madison’s PEOPLE Program.