Access to Higher Education

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Higher Learning Commission Accreditation Review Council
Dr. Schwalbach serves on the Higher Learning Commission Accreditation Review Council. Through site visits and peer reviews, she works to ensure Wisconsin's higher education institutions meet rigorous quality standards and provide educational opportunities for a diverse population.

Grace Scholars Program
Under her vice presidency at Mount Mary, Dr. Schwalbach brought the College's Grace Scholars Program to life. This program, which serves students on campus and inside the YWCA building at N. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive in Milwaukee, meets the needs of young women who are academically qualified to attend college, but lack the financial resources necessary to complete a degree.

The faces of the Grace Scholars Program (formerly Midtown Scholarship).

The Grace Scholars program provides substantial financial support for young women from Milwaukee's urban community along with support services that ensure retention and ultimately completion of a college education. With a combination of the Grace Scholars award, and eligible state and federal funding, up to 70-85% of tuition costs are covered for these students. Since its inception, the Grace Scholars program has been providing educational opportunities to previously underserved young women.

Talent Dividend
Dr. Schwalbach's deep commitment to higher education fuels her responsibilities as Co-Chair of the Greater Milwaukee Committee's Talent Divided Initiative. The Initiative seeks to raise the number of college graduates in the Milwaukee area as a means to drive economic prosperity.

Dr. Schwalbach's deep commitment to higher education fuels her responsibilities as Co-Chair of the Talent Dividend Initiative. A collaborative effort between education, business, civic and nonprofit organizations, the Initiative seeks to raise the number of college graduates as a means to drive economic prosperity in southeastern Wisconsin.

The Talent Dividend's 2011 strategies are focused on:

• College Completion and Success
  
• College Access

Funded by a Greater Milwaukee Foundation grant, the College Completion and Success team has collected data from several higher education institutions on college completion programs and results. Best practices will be identified in white paper by end of year 2011.

Funded by KnowHow2Go the College Access team is currently developing a Southeast Wisconsin "College Access Council" for 3 regions:

• Milwaukee metro
  
• Racine/Kenosha
  
• Waukesha and west to Madison

The team will develop model for regional Pre-College Access events to be held during 2011, along with a report on event effectiveness to be completed by end of year 2011.

• See a video explaining the idea behind the Talent Dividend Initiative.
• Read the news coverage -

  • President Dr. Eileen Schwalbach (left), Gateway Technical College President Bryan Albrecht, Mount Mary College Acting Provost Dr. Wendy McCredie and Gateway Technical College Executive Vice President/Provost Zina Howard. (December 2009)

    "Business Leaders Working on College Graduation Initiative,"
    The Business Journal, July 2010
  • "Milwaukee, Madison compete for education grant,"
    The Business Journal, May 2011

Transfer Agreements
Dr. Schwalbach is working diligently with area colleges and universities, employers and civic organizations to improve access to higher education. She established new Transfer Agreements with Waukesha County Technical College and Gateway Technical College to improve access from technical college programs to four-year degree programs.