FREDERICA FREYBERG:

THEY SAY IMITATION IS THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY. WELL, STATE LAWMAKERS SAW A GOOD IDEA FROM THE GREAT LAKES HIGHER EDUCATION GUARANTY CORPORATION AND IMITATED IT. BECAUSE GREAT LAKES LAUNCHED AN EMERGENCY GRANT PROGRAM FOR WISCONSIN TECHNICAL COLLEGE STUDENTS IN 2012. AND SINCE THEN HAS AWARDED NEARLY 3,000 STUDENTS GRANTS OF ABOUT $500 EACH. THESE GRANTS HELP STUDENTS STAY IN SCHOOL. NOW TO THE IMITATION PART. IN LATE MARCH A BILL WAS SIGNED INTO LAW THAT PROVIDES $450,000 STATE DOLLARS FOR SIMILAR EMERGENCY GRANTS FOR TWO-YEAR TECH AND COLLEGE STUDENTS. GREAT LAKES IS JUST OUT WITH ITS LATEST NUMBER OF STUDENTS RECEIVING GRANTS. AND REPORTS THAT JUST THIS SPRING SEMESTER IT HAS GIVEN OUT MORE THAN $125,000 IN GRANTS TO STUDENTS AT TEN TECHNICAL COLLEGES ACROSS THE STATE. AMY KERWIN FROM GREAT LAKES HIGHER ED CORPORATION JOINS US NOW. THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

AMY KERWIN:

THANK YOU.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SO AS WE’VE SAID THESE GRANTS WERE ABOUT $500 APIECE. WHAT ARE STUDENTS ARE USING THEM FOR?

AMY KERWIN:

YOU’D BE SURPRISED AT WHAT STUDENTS USE THEM FOR. MOST ACTUALLY ARE TRANSPORTATION-RELATED. WE HAVE A NUMBER OF STUDENTS THAT REPORT THEY’RE WORKING. THEY LOST THEIR JOB. THEY CAN’T AFFORD THEIR CAR PAYMENT. WITHOUT THEIR CAR PAYMENT, THEY CAN’T GET TO CLASS AND THEN THEY WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE SCHOOL. SO OFTENTIMES ONE OF THE GRANTS IS USED TO CATCH UP A COUPLE OF MONTHS OF CAR PAYMENTS. THE STUDENT GETS A JOB. THEY’RE BACK ON TRACK AND STAYING TOWARDS COMPLETING THEIR DEGREE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

HOW COMPETITIVE IS IT TO GET THESE GRANTS? ARE THERE A LOT MORE PEOPLE ASKING FOR THEM THAN THERE IS MONEY AVAILABLE?

AMY KERWIN:

THERE’S ACTUALLY A LOT MORE PEOPLE ASKING THAN MONEY IS AVAILABLE. PART OF THAT THE COLLEGES HAVE TO BALANCE HOW MUCH THEY ADVERTISE OR BROADCAST THE AVAILABILITY OF THE FUNDS SO THEY AREN’T HAVING TO SAY NO TOO OFTEN.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT AREN’T THESE GRANTS ALLOWED TO BE USED FOR?

AMY KERWIN:

THEY ARE INTENDED TO BE USED FOR UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES. EMERGENCIES. SO THEY AREN’T ALLOWED TO BE USED FOR TUITION OR FEES OR BOOKS. GENERAL SCHOOL EXPENSES THEY’RE NOT ALLOWED FOR. BUT ANYTHING THAT COMES UP OUTSIDE OF THAT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT DID YOUR REVIEW OF THESE GRANTS SHOW IN TERMS OF HOW THEY AFFECTED RETENTION OF STUDENTS IN TECH AND TWO-YEAR COLLEGES?

AMY KERWIN:

IMPRESSIVE RESULTS. WE SAW THAT 73% OF THE LOW-INCOME STUDENTS WHO RECEIVED ONE OF THE GRANTS EITHER RE-ENROLLED THE NEXT SEMESTER OR COMPLETED THEIR DEGREE. AND THAT COMPARES TO 59% AVERAGE FOR ALL STUDENTS, NOT JUST LOW-INCOME STUDENTS ACROSS THE NATION.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHY ARE THE GRANTS LIMITED TO TWO-YEAR SCHOOLS?

AMY KERWIN:

OUR INITIAL GRANT LIMITED THEM TO TWO-YEAR SCHOOLS BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF LOW-INCOME STUDENTS ATTEND TWO-YEAR COLLEGES AND WE WANTED TO USE OUR RESOURCES WHERE WE FELT THEY WOULD HELP THE GREATEST NUMBER OF STUDENTS WITH THE GREATEST NEED.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

NOW, YOUR GRANT PROGRAM I UNDERSTAND HAS PROVED SO SUCCESSFUL THAT YOU’VE EXPANDED IT. WHO IS ELIGIBLE NOW?

AMY KERWIN:

WE MADE A NEW GRANT ON JANUARY 1 OF THIS YEAR AND THAT INCLUDED $1.5 MILLION IN FUNDING TO 31 COLLEGES. TEN HERE IN WISCONSIN AND THEN COLLEGES ALSO IN IOWA, MINNESOTA AND OHIO.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

I UNDERSTAND THAT GREAT LAKES WAS PLEASED THAT THE STATE TOOK UP ON YOUR IDEA WITH ITS OWN EMERGENCY GRANT PROGRAM. WHY?

AMY KERWIN:

AS A GRANT MAKER, I THINK THERE IS NO BETTER RESULT THAN TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT YOU DO ON A PHILANTHROPIC BASIS PROVE SUCCESSFUL AND THEN SEE PUBLIC FUNDING BE AVAILABLE TO SUPPORT THAT. I THINK IT’S A SUSTAINABILITY ISSUE AND PUBLIC FUNDING CERTAINLY HELPS WITH THAT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

ALL RIGHT. AMY KERWIN, THANKS VERY MUCH.

AMY KERWIN:

THANK YOU.