The UW System Board of Regents discussed the Access to Success Project Thursday, an initiative to increase the number of minority and low-income students attending and graduating from Wisconsin colleges.
Kevin Reilly, president of the UW System, said the Access to Success Project was developed in 2009. He said the goal is to increase the number of college graduates in Wisconsin, and make sure those graduates represent the race and income of Wisconsin high school graduates.
Rebecca Martin, senior vice president of academic affairs, said there have been slight improvements since Plan 2008, which began in 1998 to increase racial and ethnic representation at Wisconsin colleges.
""Although we've made incremental progress in enrollments of underrepresented minority students over the past several years, we are still not serving these populations at the same rate we serve white high school graduates,"" she said.
Martin added increases in college enrollment for low-income families are minimal.
According to Martin, the Access to Success Project aims to reach the goal of more graduates in Wisconsin. The Board of Regents said in April they would work towards increasing the number of graduates from UW System schools to 80,000 by 2015.
""[Without the plan] we cannot meet our growth agenda goals in Wisconsin, or across the nation, for more highly educated, democratically engaged and globally competitive citizenry unless this situation changes,"" Reilly said.
The plan also includes small, transitional math classes for minorities because math courses at the remedial and first level are barriers for minorities, Martin said.
