PEOPLEPre-College Enrichment Program for

Learning Excellence

Paul W. BarrowsVice Chancellor for Student Affairs

Our African-American and American Indian Enrollments have been flat over the last ten years:

Undergraduates of Color, by Heritage

-200400600800

1,0001,2001,400 Asian/

Pacific AmericanHispanic/Latino

AfricanAmerican

AmericanIndian

• 87 % of all Wisconsin high school students graduate, 2nd highest rate nation-wide.

• But while Wisconsin’s graduation rate for white students is 92%, it has the nation’s lowest rate for Black students: only 40%only 40% graduate from high school.

• The rate is even lower for Milwaukee: only 34% of black students graduate from high school, 74% for whites.

• Targeted minorities, especially American Indian and Hispanic groups, have similar low completion rates.

Another challenge is defined in the headline of a study by a Washington think-tank…

A study released by a Washington think tank estimated several states' spending on prisons and corrections grew at six times the rate of their spending on higher education, and by the close of the millennium—in some states—more Blacks were in prisons from 1985 to 2000 than there were in the states’ higher education systems.

The study titled “Cellblocks Or Classrooms? The Funding of Higher Education and Corrections and Its Impact on Black Men," covered all 50 states. Of those states at least 13, including Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin, Delaware, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Alaska were estimated in 2000 as having more Blacks in prisons than in higher education.

To build the pool of To build the pool of targeted targeted students students qualified toqualified to

apply, apply, be admitted and be admitted and enroll enroll

at UW-Madison, we have established at UW-Madison, we have established the the PEOPLE PEOPLE programprogram as the centerpiece of our Diversity Plan 2008.

PEOPLE's Three Point Goal:

Graduation from High School

Enrollment at a higher education institution

Enrollment at UW-Madison

The Program

Grade Madison Milwaukee

77thth-9-9thth Summer 3-wk workshopsSummer 3-wk workshops

Fall-Spring AcademyFall-Spring Academy

1010th-th-1111thth Summer 3-wk residential Program in Summer 3-wk residential Program in science, math, writing & fine artsscience, math, writing & fine arts

Academic year enrichment & skills Academic year enrichment & skills buildingbuilding

Rising 12Rising 12thth 7-wk Residential Summer Internship & 7-wk Residential Summer Internship & ResearchResearch

HS Grad;HS Grad;

AdmittedAdmitted

8-week Summer Bridge for 8-week Summer Bridge for undergraduate creditundergraduate credit

The Middle School Curriculum: Students have the opportunity to explore the following topics in hands-on workshops for 3 weeks in the summer:

• Architecture

• Computer Animation

• Rocket & Space Travel

• Fun with Chemistry

• Hip Hop and Sound Design

• How Your Body Works

• Newspaper Publishing

• Mysteries of Plants

• Documentary Video Production

• Starting Your Own Business• See the World Through An

Engineer’s Eyes (For Girls Only)

• The Little Things Within Us • Teen Zine • Web Graphics Workshop• Limnology• Law• Theatre & Drama• Veterinary Science

For their academic year program, Madison PEOPLE students come to campus for bi-weekly courses in:

• Foundations of Algebra and

• Reading and Writing for the College-Bound.

• The classes are taught by UW professors, academic staff, and graduate students.

• Emphasis is on building skills through preparatory courses in mathematics, reading, writing, and computer literacy.

• These courses are offered Monday through Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings on the UW-Madison campus.

The High School Curriculum:For the first two summers, High School PEOPLE students

attend a three-week summer residential program on the UW-Madison campus that includes

• math and writing workshops

• skills development in the biological, physical, engineering, biomedical, & health sciences.

• There is also an evening curriculum in fine arts and performing arts, as well as enrichment and recreational activities.  

The academic year program involves UW faculty, staff, and students meeting with PEOPLE students and parents for continued academic skill development sessions, university orientation programs, and cultural enrichment activities.

• PEOPLE students participate in a seven-week Residential Internship & Research Experience

• They work under the supervision of university faculty, instructional staff and researchers or with a public or corporate sponsor.

• Emphasis is on learning and applying methods of scientific inquiry and analysis in the biological, physical, and social sciences.

In their third summer

In Summer 2003 71 PEOPLE Third-Years completed 7-week internship placements with, among others:

• WI Department of Commerce Minority Business Enterprises and International & Export Development

• Meriter Hospital’s Exercise Physiology & Physical Therapy Clinic, Sports Medicine clinics, and the Nursing School

• Madison Chiropractic, and Health & Fitness Centers• Media agencies including The Madison Times, WYOU Television, the

WI State Journal, WSUM Radio, La Comunidad and UW-Madison’s School of Journalism

• School of Veterinary Medicine’s Large Animal Clinic and private veterinary clinics

• The Law School• Computer Science and the Division of Information Technology• Psychology & Counseling• Community Organizations like Centro Hispano• Theatre & Drama with the Madison CTM• CUNA Mutual, State Farm, Restaino Bunbury, Mortgage 2000, John

Deere, the Business School• MMSD Middle Schools, Social Work, & Child Development

Career AspirationsCareer Aspirations

• PEOPLE students participate in an eight-week Bridge-to-College Program

• take rigorous university level courses and earn credits toward an undergraduate degree,

• experience the life of an undergraduate by living, studying and interacting with other students, faculty and staff on the campus, and

• prepare for their first fall semester as full-fledged UW-Madison undergraduates.

During the summer after graduation from high school and admission to the UW-Madison:

How many PEOPLE? What are our numbers?

Year 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

TOTAL 66 204 390 542 657

Middle School (Madison) Sixth Grade

Cohort 1   92 81 61 58

Cohort 2     114 98 90

Cohort 3       119 113

Cohort 4         85High School (Milwaukee, Racine and Waukesha)

Cohort 1 66 47 43 24* 21*

Cohort 2   65 57 51 20* 

Cohort 3     95 82 71

Cohort 4       107 99

Cohort 5         100

*Now enrolled as UW-Madison PEOPLE Undergraduates

PEOPLE Participants, Winter 2004

Demographics of PEOPLE students:

Group Msn Milw Total

African American 48% 69% 58%

Latino/a 17% 18% 17%

Asian American 22% 7% 14%

Native American 2% 2% 2%

Bi-racial 11% 3% 7%

White 1% 0% 1%

Total 100% 100% 100%

Participants who started in 9th grade:  131 100%

completed the program: 94 72%

graduated from high school:   94 100%

enrolled in higher education:   90 96%

enrolled at UW-Madison:  44 47%

enrolled at other UW System Schools: 12 13% enrolled at other college/university: 34 36%

entered the trades and military:  4 4%

1999 & 2000 High School Cohorts who have completed the precollege portion of PEOPLE

Madison PEOPLE evaluation:• 78% of students said the program was definitely a

good experience• 82% would recommend the PEOPLE program to a

friend• 90% felt that participation in the program either

definitely or somewhat increased their desire to attend college and helped them be more successful in school.

• Other benefits of the program emerged throughout the year, as students showed increased confidence and greater leadership skills to speak out in public forums or run for student government offices.

PEOPLE’s 2nd year retention rates & evaluation:

– High School 2nd year retention rates have rise progressively from approximately 71 and 67 percent for the first 1999 and second 2000 cohorts, to 86 percent for the 2001 and 93 percent for the 2002 cohort.

– Likewise, 2nd year retention rates for Middle School PEOPLE show increases 88 percent for the first 2000 cohort; 86 percent for the 2001 cohort, and 95 percent for the 2002 cohort.

• Student evaluations report satisfaction with classes and coursework, relationships with teachers and peers, and free-time activities, with requests for more free time and flexibility.

• Ninety-one (91) percent of students who attended the 2001 summer program specifically noted plans to attend college following their high school graduation.

What are our projections for PEOPLE’s growth in

numbers?

YEARHigh School Cohorts Middle School Cohorts

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1999 66  

2000 47 65 92

2001 41 57 95 81 114

2002 24 51 82 107 61 98 119

2003* 21 20 71 99 158 90 113 85

Projctd 2004 20 19 67 94 150 186 107 81 100

2005 19 18 64 89 143 176 202 77 95 100

1,134 2006 18 17 61 85 135 167 192 173 90 95 100

Projections of PEOPLE Participants