MARSHALL, TEXAS –Wiley College has been selected by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) to receive the Wal-Mart College Success Award—a $100,000 grant to help build on Wiley College’s demonstrated successes in enrolling, retaining, and graduating first-generation college students. Wiley College was one of only 20 colleges selected through a highly competitive application process to receive the award, which is intended to help institutions that are already deeply committed to the education of first-generation students.
“We are appreciative and pleased to have been selected as one of the 20 colleges and universities selected by the Council on Independent Colleges to receive the Wal-Mart College Success Award,” said Dr. Haywood L. Strickland, President and CEO of Wiley College. “The grant will allow Wiley College to expand its efforts to define best practices in insuring the success of first-generation students. The Wiley program facilitates persistence and achievement by linking regular college coursework with extensive undergirding of existing academic support activities.”
The programs offered at these 20 institutions represent the wide range of approaches to working with first-generation students. Some institutions focus on the unique needs of a particular subset of first-generation students, such as foreign-born students, commuter students, transfer students from community colleges, or students pursuing a teaching career. A number of the award recipients offer transitional summer programs for incoming students that help prepare them for college-level work and life away from home. Others provide services such as mentoring, tutoring, career development, and providing scholarships and stipends to help ensure success for first-generation students. A document describing each institution’s first-generation college success program is attached.
“CIC was delighted that 217 institutions—more than a third of its membership—applied for the grants. More importantly, we were amazed at the outstanding quality of their programs—truly a testament to the efforts of private colleges to ensure the success of first-generation students,” said CIC President Richard Ekman in announcing the awards. “These awards will help strengthen those programs and also provide recognition that their work is important,” Ekman added.
“Wal-Mart is proud to support programs that enable first-generation students to succeed in college,” said Margaret McKenna, president of the Wal-Mart Foundation. “Wal-Mart’s partnership with CIC identifies institutions committed to the success of first-generation students and will help identify and share effective programs.”
The 19 additional winners are: Adrian College (MI), Bay Path College (MA), Bellarmine University (KY), California Lutheran University, Carroll University (WI), College of Idaho, College of Mount Saint Vincent (NY), College of Saint Benedict (MN), College of St. Scholastica (MN), Florida Memorial University, Illinois College, Juniata College (PA), Kalamazoo College (MI), Lesley University (MA), Manchester College (IN), North Central College (IL), Ripon College (WI), St. Edward’s University (TX), and Wartburg College (IA).
Nationwide, at all colleges and universities, only 24 percent of first-generation students succeed in earning a bachelor’s degree compared with 68 percent of students whose parents received a bachelor’s degree. The colleges that have been selected for the Wal-Mart College Success Awards have developed programs that result in higher percentages of graduates among their first-generation college students than the national average, and many graduate first-generation students at the same rate as all other students.
Posted By: Kenyana Madison
Friday, July 25th 2008 at 12:50PM
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