Program director finds his place at UW-Madison

DeVon Wilson recalls being a little hesitant walking into the Ingraham Hall offices of the Academic Advancement Program (AAP) last July.

He had spent the past 20 years as a student, administrator and, eventually, assistant dean of students at 1,300-student Beloit College. But it was his first day as the new director of AAP. The move to UW–Madison, a school of 40,000 students, was a daunting transition.

“I went from a small college to a big university, and I was a little nervous to find my space,” says Wilson. “I was almost like a new student trying to find my own place on campus.”

Wilson’s apprehension faded when he walked into AAP and was greeted with a welcome sign on the door to his new office. With that sign, he knew he had made the right decision to move to UW–Madison.

“The AAP staff and students welcomed me with open arms,” says Wilson, who also serves as an assistant dean in the College of Letters and Science and director of Pathways to Excellence student academic services programs. “That was my first sign that we had something special in AAP.”

The road to becoming the director of UW–Madison’s oldest program for underrepresented students was not a straight path for Wilson. As a student at Beloit, Wilson wanted to work behind the cameras in media production. But after his first year working as a resident adviser, he learned that his real passion lay in helping people, especially students, see their goals and achieve them.

After helping students achieve their academic and personal goals at Beloit College for 20 years, Wilson was ready for the bigger challenge of AAP at UW–Madison. Wilson says he was attracted to the university because of its commitment to educating the diverse leaders of tomorrow.

AAP, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary at UW–Madison this spring, has been dedicated to helping attract and retain underrepresented students, including students of color, first-generation college students and lower-income students. When AAP began in the 1966-67 academic year, it was a pioneering program unique to UW–Madison.

“The university and AAP were trailblazers,” says Wilson. “Throughout the years, AAP has been able to withstand the test of time even as the university has changed.”

During the past 40 years, AAP has evolved to include more students and more services. In 1966, the program was designed to retain and graduate students of color.

Today, the program serves almost 500 students of diverse backgrounds and is focused on preparing student for life after college, whether that be through internships, research or study abroad opportunities.

Wilson calls AAP the “one-stop shop” for students. At AAP, students can find tutoring, writing help, academic planning, internships, study abroad information and even social guidance.

“Instead of running all around campus, from the registar’s office to the L&S office and back, I know I can go into the AAP offices and they have the answer,” says graduating senior and program participant Joe Kapper.

AAP also creates a community among its students. AAP alum and Madison mayoral aide Mario Mendoza says the community helped ease his transition from Puerto Rico to Madison.

“The transition to UW–Madison was, as one might expect, filled with excitement and difficulties,” he recalls. “A new environment — including a colder climate than what I was used to — new academic challenges, new friendships and relationships.

“AAP helped introduce me to fellow students who were going through the same types of adjustments I was,” he adds. “That was important because it lessens your sense of isolation. You don’t feel like you are going through this adjustment alone.”

Wilson and other AAP assistant deans support students with academic and general life advice. Although each of the program’s five deans works with upward of 100 students each, they still find time to connect to each student.

Mendoza remembers his own assistant dean, the now-retired Robert Ibarra, who gave him a piece of life-changing advice when he felt stuck between Puerto Rico and Madison.

“Rob gave me the best piece of advice anyone has given me. He told me to live in as many worlds as you can.” Mendoza says. “I have lived through that piece of advice. I have found myself to have a life that is rewarding because I didn’t limit myself. I don’t think I have ever told him personally how much that one piece of advice changed my life.”

Wilson says he is proud of the legacy the program has created and hopes to guide it through more milestone anniversaries in the future. In the end, fostering student success is an extremely rewarding profession.

“These students have found their home and they are achieving (at UW–Madison),” Wilson says. “To go from coming in with some doubt to graduating and going on to graduate school or getting positions in major corporation, that to me is a great achievement.”