Spring Break
Campus 'gears up'
Grant will allow low-income students better oppurtunities
Alexa Blatz and Brian Reisinger
Issue date: 9/12/05 Section: Campus News
Thanks to a $2.4 million federal grant awarded to UW-Eau Claire, more than 500 low-income students at four northern Wisconsin schools will get new resources and encouragement to help them pursue a post-secondary education.
Most of the affected students are Native American or live in depressed areas and may not receive the opportunity to learn about furthering their education otherwise, said Marge Hebbring, director of the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, "We're preparing students so that they'll be eligible for college," she said.
The Federal Department of Education will award the program about $410,000 annually for six years under the GEAR UP Partnership Grant.
Hebbring said participating in the program benefits Eau Claire by bringing money to the university and increasing student diversity in the future.
"It raises revenue for the university," she said. "It also is a recruitment tool, because some of (the students in the program) end up coming (to Eau Claire) after the grant is done."
GEAR UP is a Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction initiative and complements existing federal programs by informing students between third and seventh grade about college, according to the press release.
It then follows students throughout high school and aids in transforming schools by supporting statewide educational reform efforts.
"There are only three grants in the state of Wisconsin and we are very fortunate to be awarded," Hebbring said.
UW-Stout and Eau Claire developed the proposal, which targets the Winter public schools, Menominee Tribal School and Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe School as well as schools in the Menominee Indian School District, which consist of Native Americans.
The grant can help create an environment of learning by collaborating with the community, parents and school staff, as well as inspire academic, personal, social and cultural growth. The grant also will inform and encourage students and parents to plan for post-secondary education.
Major components of the grant include creating an effective learning environment, informing parents about financial aid and the college admission process, as well as increasing language scores on standardized tests. Also included as major components are the number of students completing high school while enrolling in some form of post-secondary education.
The program was created in 1999 by former President Bill Clinton, to support college preparation and awareness activities for low-income students. Grants serve public school districts in which a majority of students are eligible for free or reduce-price lunches. Eau Claire was among the first recipients to receive the grant that year, collecting $1.4 million to support students at the Lac du Flambeau Public School.
Most of the affected students are Native American or live in depressed areas and may not receive the opportunity to learn about furthering their education otherwise, said Marge Hebbring, director of the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, "We're preparing students so that they'll be eligible for college," she said.
The Federal Department of Education will award the program about $410,000 annually for six years under the GEAR UP Partnership Grant.
Hebbring said participating in the program benefits Eau Claire by bringing money to the university and increasing student diversity in the future.
"It raises revenue for the university," she said. "It also is a recruitment tool, because some of (the students in the program) end up coming (to Eau Claire) after the grant is done."
GEAR UP is a Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction initiative and complements existing federal programs by informing students between third and seventh grade about college, according to the press release.
It then follows students throughout high school and aids in transforming schools by supporting statewide educational reform efforts.
"There are only three grants in the state of Wisconsin and we are very fortunate to be awarded," Hebbring said.
UW-Stout and Eau Claire developed the proposal, which targets the Winter public schools, Menominee Tribal School and Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe School as well as schools in the Menominee Indian School District, which consist of Native Americans.
The grant can help create an environment of learning by collaborating with the community, parents and school staff, as well as inspire academic, personal, social and cultural growth. The grant also will inform and encourage students and parents to plan for post-secondary education.
Major components of the grant include creating an effective learning environment, informing parents about financial aid and the college admission process, as well as increasing language scores on standardized tests. Also included as major components are the number of students completing high school while enrolling in some form of post-secondary education.
The program was created in 1999 by former President Bill Clinton, to support college preparation and awareness activities for low-income students. Grants serve public school districts in which a majority of students are eligible for free or reduce-price lunches. Eau Claire was among the first recipients to receive the grant that year, collecting $1.4 million to support students at the Lac du Flambeau Public School.