Precollege History

Since its inception during the academic school year 1979-1980 University of Wisconsin-Parkside Precollege Program, formerly known as *CHAMP, has and continues to create brighter futures for thousands of Kenosha, Milwaukee, and Racine economically disadvantaged middle and high school students, by providing them with an array of academic skill building, career exploration, cultural and social enrichment opportunities. Precollege offers numerous programs to students such as Academic Achievers, ACT Workshop, Doctors of Our Community, Math and Science Scholars, and Stepping Stones. Precollege has evolved into a comprehensive precollege program entitled University of Wisconsin-Parkside Precollege Program. The program was the brainchild of Lawrence Logan who served as Vice Chancellor and Equity and Diversity to the Chancellor.

**UW-Parkside's Precollege receives ongoing in-kind and financial support from the university's administration, faculty, staff, and students, University of Wisconsin-System Administration, Wisconsin Department of Instruction, parents, area school districts, other higher education institutions, businesses, community and faith-based organizations, legislators, civic leaders, and interested individuals.

Precollege has gone through many transitions to help students; starting with a minority focus due to the high dropout rate and low college entrance rate of minority high school students. Graduating into a program focusing on the holistic success of economically disadvantaged youth, Precollege provide students with educational and social strategies to make a smooth transition from elementary, middle, high school to higher education. Precollege creates an effective network of peers, teachers, staff, and community partners at their future schools. Taking the middle school teenager's experience to higher level precollege enhancing the curriculum giving them a true revelation of what it takes to achieve their dreams. For the young adult in high school, this revelation is fundamental to the understanding of college and life preparation skills. Theoretically, the future college student's knowledge and experiences gained from the Precollege program once applied in high school will create a successful candidate for college. Precollege Programs change with the ebb and flow of student's needs and generational modifications.

Precollege offers afterschool programs, Saturday academies, and summer camps for students 6th through 12 grades. For additional information, please refer to the Precollege website.

*Creating Higher Aspirations and Motivation Program (CHAMP)

**University of Wisconsin-Parkside (UW-Parkside)