UW-River Falls Awarded $1.46 Million Grant to Increase Retention and Graduation Rates of At-Need Students

July 21, 2015 -- The University of Wisconsin-River Falls was recently awarded a $1.46 million grant to increase retention and graduation rates for low-income, first-generation or disabled college students.  

The U.S. Department of Education will provide UW-River Falls with a five-year grant for the Student Support Services program. With its assistance, about 200 at-need students will receive academic tutoring, help picking postsecondary classes, information on financial aid programs, and counseling to improve financial and economic literacy. Activities to help the students fund and enroll in graduate and professional programs will also be available. 

"We were very excited to receive the call from U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin's office announcing our grant award," said Molly Van Wagner, UWRF Grants & Research Department director. "Hundreds of hours went into writing the proposal submitted the end of January 2015." 

Van Wagner said there were nearly 1,500 requests for grants this year, the highest number to date. 

"This year's competition was extremely competitive," she said. 

The Student Support Services at UW-River Falls began in the early 1990s. For more information, contact Student Support Services Director Chuayi Yang at 715-425-3531 or chuayi.yang@uwrf.edu.