Newsletter
November 2011
Press Releases
Tip Sheet for the week of: October 17, 2011
AmeriCorps funding helps Blugold Beginnings expand
Blugold Beginnings 2nd Annual Golf Fundraiser
Fifth-graders to tour campus April 20-21
RELEASED: April 13, 2011
Fifth-Grade Tour Day program seeks student mentors
RELEASED: March 28, 2011
Community and alumni volunteers needed
for fifth-grade tour day in April
RELEASED: March 17, 2011
Blugold Beginnings receives $85,000 grant to continue serving area youth
RELEASED: Sept. 16, 2010
EAU CLAIRE — A program that encourages young at-risk students to pursue higher education will continue thanks to an $85,000 grant awarded to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
The grant — which will support UW-Eau Claire's Blugold Beginnings program — came from the Wisconsin College Access Challenge Grant, which is administered by the Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corp. on behalf of the state of Wisconsin.
The funding will support the elementary-school component of the Blugold Beginnings program, which serves more than 1,000 fifth-graders from west-central Wisconsin schools.
"We're very excited that we can continue our work with these young students," said Jodi Thesing-Ritter, associate dean of students and the author of the grant. "The students and teachers have been very happy with the program. We know we're making a difference and we're thrilled that we have the funding to continue so we can reach even more young people."
Through Blugold Beginnings, UW-Eau Claire students serve as tutors and mentors for fifth-graders at Eau Claire Area School District schools with high rates of students receiving free and reduced lunches, Thesing-Ritter said. A spring field trip brings all fifth-grade students from all Eau Claire elementary schools and several schools in surrounding districts to the UW-Eau Claire campus.
"Our students and families have gained a wonderful 'picture' of what college is, both visually and cognitively," said Chad Erickson, the principal at Sherman Elementary School in Eau Claire. "This new 'picture' is what they can continue to talk and think about as they grow and learn in middle and high school. We look forward each year to this wonderful collaboration with UW-Eau Claire and the relationships that stem from it. It also ties perfectly into our district goal of preparing each child for post-secondary experiences."
UW-Eau Claire mentors will begin working with current fifth-grade students by the end of September, said Lissa Martinez, Blugold Beginnings program coordinator. The schools involved in last year's program provided valuable feedback, which has helped shape this year's effort, she said.
"We will use all that we learned in our first year to make the second year even better," Martinez said of the elementary component of the program.
The programming for elementary school students allows UW-Eau Claire to provide as many young students as possible with "college knowledge," Thesing-Ritter said.
"By middle school, many students already are getting the message that they can't go to college because their parents didn't attend college, they've earned poor grades or their families' incomes wouldn't be sufficient to pay college tuition costs," Thesing-Ritter said. "Through Blugold Beginnings, these young students learn that those factors need not be barriers to continuing their education after high school."
The Blugold Beginnings program has high school, middle school and elementary school components, all of which are designed to increase college access through precollege outreach, especially for at-risk youth.
For more information about the grant or the Blugold Beginnings program, contact Jodi Thesing-Ritter at 715-836-2325 or thesinjm@uwec.edu.
-30-
JB/DW
Blugold Beginnings to expand thanks to $274,028 AmeriCorps grant
RELEASED: Sept. 14, 2010
EAU CLAIRE — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has received a $274,028 AmeriCorps grant to expand Blugold Beginnings, a program designed to give more area youth access to higher education through precollege outreach.
The newest funding will be used to develop a Blugold Beginnings College and Career Readiness program targeted at youth from low-income families, first-generation higher education youth and youth who are from minority racial and ethnic families, said Jodi Thesing-Ritter, associate dean of students and one of the authors of the grant proposal.
"The AmeriCorps grant is a phenomenal opportunity for Blugold Beginnings to partner with the Eau Claire and Arcadia school districts to provide students with the information and support needed to achieve post-secondary education," Thesing-Ritter said. "UW-Eau Claire students also will benefit from the opportunity to have AmeriCorps positions and participate in valuable community service."
The project's goal is to create a school culture that encourages students to develop the knowledge, attitudes, skills and values they will need to be successful in higher education and employment, Thesing-Ritter said. It also will work to ensure that the children most at risk are targeted for and receive assistance, support, encouragement and rewards, she said.
"We're building on relationships we already have established with the Eau Claire and Arcadia school districts," Thesing-Ritter said. "There is a community need for higher education and achievement gap awareness in our region. Students who are low- to middle-income, first-generation and are minorities are less likely to enter post-secondary education. Even though programs and initiatives have been developed and implemented to address this problem the problem still exists."
With the new grant dollars, Blugold Beginnings will hire a field supervisor to recruit and supervise four full-time AmeriCorps members who will serve as college coaches in eight area schools. The field supervisor also will supervise 85 AmeriCorps members who will help with school programming and provide one-on-one and group tutoring and mentoring for targeted students.
"The Eau Claire Area School District is pleased to learn of the approval of the AmeriCorps grant to expand Blugold Beginnings to our secondary schools," said Tim Leibham, deputy superintendent of the Eau Claire Area School District. "Having college coaches in each school will provide additional connections to the university, especially for our first-generation college students. Our partnership increases our educational effectiveness for all children."
For more information about the grant or the Blugold Beginnings program, contact Jodi Thesing-Ritter at 715-836-2325 or thesinjm@uwec.edu.
-30-
JB/DW
Golf outing planned to support Blugold Beginnings program
RELEASED: May 28, 2010
EAU CLAIRE — A golf outing fundraiser organized by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire will be held June 28 at the Eau Claire Golf & Country Club. The event will begin with lunch and registration at 11:30 a.m. Proceeds from the golf outing will support the Blugold Beginnings program, which provides scholarships, learning materials and mentoring for area students in grades 5-12.
Participants can pay $140 for a single player or $700 for a five-player team. The fee covers 18 holes of golf with cart, lunch, gift, prizes, silent auction and dinner. An optional skins game costs $20 per person.
The purpose of the Blugold Beginnings program is to educate and inspire students, especially underrepresented, low income or would-be first generation college students, to believe that a postsecondary education is important, attainable and available at UW-Eau Claire and other institutions, according to Blugold Beginnings program coordinator Lissa Martinez.
For more information or to register for the golf outing, contact Martinez at martinjl@uwec.edu or 715-836-3651 or visit the golf outing page on the Blugold Beginnings website to download the registration form.
-30-
RD/DW
Public invited to Blugold Beginnings open house Oct. 21
RELEASED: Oct. 7, 2009
EAU CLAIRE — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire will hold an open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 21 to inform the public and the campus community about the goals of the new Blugold Beginnings program, a multifaceted effort to expand access to college through pre-college outreach. The open house will be held in the Blugold Beginnings Office in Old Library 2134, between Schofield Hall and McIntyre Library.
On June 8 Gov. Jim Doyle announced UW-Eau Claire's selection for a grant which will fund a portion of the Blugold Beginnings program. Allocated from the Wisconsin College Access Challenge Grant, the funds are administered by the Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corp. on behalf of the state. UW-Eau Claire was selected from among nine Wisconsin colleges and universities that competed for funding to replicate UW-Green Bay's successful Phuture Phoenix program, which encourages young, at-risk students to pursue higher education.
The grant will support the development of an elementary school component to the Blugold Beginnings program at UW-Eau Claire. The program will aim to inform and inspire underrepresented fifth-grade students about higher education and how it is possible for them.
Lissa Martinez, the Blugold Beginnings program coordinator, said UW-Eau Claire's division of Student Affairs and Dean of Students office will recruit committed and motivated college students to serve as Blugold Beginnings mentors and send them into four local schools: Lakeshore, Longfellow and Sherman elementary schools in Eau Claire; and Arcadia Elementary School in Arcadia. Each school will have 10-15 mentors. Mentors also will participate in the May campus tour day when fifth-graders visit UW-Eau Claire.
Mentor positions are available immediately and will extend through two semesters. Mentors are expected to be at their designated elementary school two to five times per week, for a minimum of five hours per week. Schedules will depend on the availability of mentors and mentees. UW-Eau Claire's service-learning requirement can be completed by mentoring through this program. A training session is required before mentors begin.
"This program is a wonderful opportunity for university students to become connected with the local community, make a difference in a young person's life and promote higher education at a hands-on level," said Martinez.
A high school component of the Blugold Beginnings program began in the spring of this year and also involves the pairing of students with college mentors. In addition to the in-school mentoring, high school students are encouraged to attend monthly campus events coordinated by the Blugold Beginnings mentors. The first event, scheduled for 11 a.m. Oct. 24, will offer students the opportunity to experience a Blugold football game, with a picnic lunch beforehand.
"Our goal is to increase the number of underrepresented college-bound students, while providing support and inspiration throughout their path to higher education," said Sarah Gonzalez, a senior psychology major from Sheboygan who has served as a Blugold Beginnings high school mentor.
More information about the Blugold Beginnings program is available online, through Martinez at 715-836-3651 or martinlj@uwec.edu or through Christine Webster at 715-836-3015 or websteck@uwec.edu.
UW-Eau Claire Receives State Grant for Precollege Awareness Program
http://www.uwec.edu/newsreleases/09/june/0611BlugoldBeginnings.htm
UW-Eau Claire Receives State Grant for Precollege Awareness Program
RELEASED: June 11, 2009
 |
Sarah Gonzalez, in blue, a UW-Eau Claire student mentor during the pilot Blugold Beginnings outreach program this spring, enjoyed lunch on the Central Campus Mall with fifth-graders from Sherman Elementary during their field trip day on campus. (UW-Eau Claire photo by Jodi Thesing-Ritter) |
EAU CLAIRE — More than 1,000 fifth-graders in west-central Wisconsin will participate during the next academic year in programming aimed at increasing their access to a college education, thanks to a recent $120,000 grant received by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
On June 8, Gov. Jim Doyle announced UW-Eau Claire's selection for the grant, allocated from the Wisconsin College Access Challenge Grant, which is administered by the Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corp. on behalf of the state. UW-Eau Claire was selected from among nine Wisconsin colleges and universities that competed for the funding to replicate UW-Green Bay's successful Phuture Phoenix program to encourage young at-risk students to pursue higher education.
The grant will support UW-Eau Claire's development of an elementary school component to its Blugold Beginnings program, a multifaceted effort to expand access to college through precollege outreach. Blugold Beginnings also has a high school component, started with reallocated UW-Eau Claire funds, and a middle school component, created with support from a UW System Committee on Baccalaureate Expansion grant.
"We are very excited to work with UW-Green Bay staff who will pass on what they've learned in their six years offering the Phuture Phoenix program in eastern Wisconsin," said Jodi Thesing-Ritter, UW-Eau Claire associate dean of students and principal author of the grant.
The Blugold Beginnings programming for elementary school students will enable UW-Eau Claire to provide as many precollege students as possible with "college knowledge," Thesing-Ritter said.
"By middle school, many students already are getting the message that they can't go to college," whether because their parents didn't attend college, the students have earned poor grades in elementary or middle school, or their families' incomes would not be sufficient to pay college tuition costs, she said. Through Blugold Beginnings, these young students learn that those factors need not be barriers to continuing their education after high school, she said.
This spring, UW-Eau Claire conducted a successful pilot outreach program for elementary students with the fifth-graders from Sherman Elementary School in Eau Claire, Thesing-Ritter said.
"The teachers and kids were very pleased with the program and have talked about it for a month afterward," she said. "With our small sample size for the pilot program, I know we made a big difference in just a little bit of time."
Through Blugold Beginnings, UW-Eau Claire students will serve as tutors and mentors throughout the 2009-10 school year for fifth-graders at the four Eau Claire Area School District schools with the highest rates of students receiving free and reduced lunches, Thesing-Ritter said. A spring 2010 field trip day on the UW-Eau Claire campus also will be provided to fifth-grade students from all Eau Claire district schools and schools in surrounding districts that choose to participate.
The grant money also will support the development of a mentoring and tutoring course in UW-Eau Claire's College of Education and Human Sciences. The course will be available to university students who wish to work as Blugold Beginnings mentors and tutors.
Sarah Gonzalez, a UW-Eau Claire senior psychology major from Sheboygan, has been working as an intern with the Blugold Beginnings program.
"I am so excited that we've received this grant," Gonzalez said. "We now have the chance to show that programs such as this one are effective in providing opportunities to otherwise underrepresented students, and this will hopefully lead to other programs being implemented in the future. I am so proud that this project is finally becoming a reality."
As seen on campus, Blugold Beginnings
http://www.uwec.edu/newsbureau/bulletin/2008-09/05-11-09/ubinsp.htm
|
Blugold Beginnings — Above, Sherman Elementary School fifth graders and UW-Eau Claire student mentors enjoyed lunch and Springfest entertainment May 6 on the Central Campus Mall. They were participants in the pilate Blugold Beginnings program, part of UW-Eau Claire's effort to expand access to college through precollege outreach. The program also has a high school component, started with UW-Eau Claire Quick Win funds, and a middle school component, funded by a UW System Committee on Baccalaureate Expansion grant. Funding is sought from the Great Lakes Foundation for the elementary school component. Blugold Beginnings is in response to Gov. Jim Doyle’s call for participation in the KnowHow2Go project, said Jodi Thesing-Ritter, UW-Eau Claire associate dean of students. (Photo by Rick Mickelson, LTS) |
