UW-Madison PEOPLE Program awarded Great Lakes community investment grant

The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Pre-college Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence, called PEOPLE, has been awarded a $300,000 grant to increase the scope of academic preparedness for disadvantaged students seeking post-secondary education.

Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation announced its 2012 Wisconsin Educational Growth Grant recipients this week following a competitive application process.

The UW–Madison PEOPLE program, housed within the University of Wisconsin–Madison division of the vice provost and chief diversity officer, is the one of the most comprehensive talent-development diversity scholarship pipelines for under-represented, economically-disadvantaged and first-generation students in the nation.

The program will use the grant to enhance the services it offers to Wisconsin high school students, says PEOPLE executive director Jacqueline DeWalt.

PEOPLE serves more than 1,200 students a year. Its offerings include working to improve the early reading and math skills of second graders, preparing students for rigorous high school classes, presenting career exploration workshops in middle school, and providing high school internships and college-level advising.

“The PEOPLE Program has a well-documented track record of success for helping students to prepare for and matriculate through college,” says Damon A. Williams, UW–Madison vice provost and chief diversity officer. “We’ve worked with thousands of families across the state and this grant will expand our reach in some significant ways. In these difficult economic times, we are extremely fortunate to partner with Great Lakes in our efforts to expand the higher education pipeline and ultimately develop a diverse and well-prepared workforce for the state of Wisconsin.”

With the Great Lakes award, the PEOPLE program will offer additional training for both students and parents on college admission and financing. Students will also receive intensive summer training on taking standardized tests, succeeding in advanced-placement high school classes, and the procedures used laboratory, research and fieldwork instruction.

“This grant will allow PEOPLE to do even more to ensure that students are academically on track and prepared to graduate from high school and earn a college degree,” DeWalt says. “We’ve been working to help under-represented students enter and matriculate through college for more than a decade, but we’re always looking for ways to offer improved services and resources to more talented students.”

In addition to the high school-focused grant, PEOPLE also has a partnership with Great Lakes to replicate the success of its elementary program, PEOPLE Prep, at other institutions of higher education across the state.

“With our Community Investments initiative, we look to build partnerships with programs that produce measurable results in helping students succeed in higher education and beyond,” says Amy Kerwin, Great Lakes’ chief educational opportunities officer. “Clearly, the PEOPLE Program fits this profile. We look forward to continuing our partnership.”

Knowing that education has the power to change lives for the better, Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation and Affiliates helps millions of students pay for college and manage their student loans. Through Community Investments, Great Lakes funds programs that foster workforce development and improve economic competitiveness by increasing the number of disadvantaged students who start and complete a postsecondary degree or certificate.