Alverno College Awarded Two-Year College Ready Grant from Great Lakes

July 29, 2015

Alverno College was one of nine colleges and community-based organizations that received a College Ready grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation. Nearly $270,000 will fund two full years of rigorous extracurricular instruction in math and English for a cohort of 75 high school students who enter their junior year testing below but within striking distance of reaching college readiness standards.

“The lack of academic preparation among college freshmen is a persistent problem we are determined to address,” says Richard D. George, Great Lakes' President and Chief Executive Officer. “The goal of our new College Ready grant is to learn whether and how an additional year of support and instruction can move even more students closer to college readiness—before they arrive on campus. We're eager to see the results Alverno College and its students can achieve in the next two years.”

Alverno College's Reading the World: English and Math College Success Academy will provide three hours per week of academic instruction and support, starting in the students' junior year, to help more of them reach college readiness benchmarks on the ACT test by the time they graduate. The goal of Alverno's Reading the World Academy is to strengthen critical math and English skills among first-generation, low-income, minority high school junior and senior girls in order to prepare them for successful college level work.Students will participate in hands-on learning activities geared towards improving ACT scores and college-readiness skills.

“With this College Ready grant, Alverno College can help Milwaukee girls succeed in college by developing college-ready skills in math and English,” said Mimi Czarnik, professor of English and program director for Reading the World:English and Math College Success Academy. “The grant also will allow us to provide resources for the girls and their families toget ready for college acceptance by improving their ACT scores, learning to write good essays, preparing applications, and practicing financial planning.”

Great Lakes' first two-year College Ready grants, totaling $4.2 million, were awarded to nine colleges and community-based organizations in Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin through 2017. Their established programs will expand to help more than 800 high school students reach college readiness benchmarks on the ACT, ACCUPLACER or Compass tests. Doing so will help these students improve their math and English skills so they are prepared to pass the gateway classes needed to earn their degrees.

About Great Lakes: Dedicated to making college education a reality since 1967

Knowing that education has the power to change lives for the better, Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation & Affiliates was established as a nonprofit group focused on a single objective: helping students nationwide prepare for and succeed in postsecondary education and student loan repayment. As a leading student loan guarantor and servicer, Great Lakes has been selected by the U.S. Department of Education to provide assistance and repayment planning to nearly 9 million borrowers - as well as assistance to colleges and lenders nationwide. The group's earnings support one of the largest and most respected education philanthropy programs in the country. Since 2006, Great Lakes has committed nearly $130 million in grant funding to promote higher education access and completion for students of color, low-income students, and first-generation students. For additional information, visit home.mygreatlakes.org.