Access to Success moves forward

With the beginning of this fall semester, UWM’s Access to Success initiative is entering its fourth year. Our focus on enhancing engagement and transition for first-year students has contributed to an increase in freshman retention from 68.7 percent for the 2005 cohort to 71.0 percent for the 2006 cohort. Freshmen in the 2006 cohort who participated in Access to Success programs were retained at 75 percent.

As I’ve often noted, Access to Success is not simply a collection of programs. Rather, it’s a philosophy and a universitywide commitment to make the first year – and all years – at UWM a stimulating and successful learning experience for all students. Our 2008 freshman have already begun connecting with their peer mentors through the energetic leadership of Ericca Pollack Rolland, the director of the First Year Center. Ericca joins other faculty and staff in several working groups preparing action plans to bolster the first-year transition, connect freshmen to faculty, enhance undergraduate research, and develop and market programming for adult students.

I’m also pleased to report that we had an enthusiastic response to a request this past spring for proposals from individuals and units to contribute to our Access to Success goals. We received 40 proposals totaling over $1.5 million in requested funds. And every single proposal contained great ideas. Those we are able to support with approximately $300,000 include projects on curriculum design and delivery, student support and diversity, and are listed below:

• The Life Impact “Expansion Project” – Supporting All UWM Students with Children

• The Guaranteed 4.0 Program

• College of Nursing Freshman Cohort Initiative

• Geoscience Lab Curriculum and Classroom Climate Enhancement Using Visualization Tools

• Enhancing Learning, Retention and Performance in First-Year Language Study

• Increasing Academically Underprepared Students’ Learning, Success and Retention Through U-Pace Instruction

• Success in Sociology 101 U-Pace Course

• Enhancing Supplemental Instruction

• NOMAS (National Organization of Minority Architecture Students) Support

• The School of Education-RiverView First Year Student Engagement Project

• Enhancing career development in
Multicultural Academic Advising

• M3C (Midwest Campus Compact Citizen) Fellow Scholars Enhancement Project

• Safe Space Program Training

• “The Freshman 15” – Engaging Incoming Students Through a Coordinated Program of Co-Curricular Activities

• The Knapsack Retreat: Unpacking Power
and Privilege

We’re pleased with the range of programs and ideas and are looking forward to a year of great success for our students.