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.
Published on July 29, 2015 | Categories: Newsroom migrated press release