LU students will benefit from Kohler Trust for the Arts and Education Grant
Lakeland University has received a grant of $250,000 from the Kohler Trust for the Arts and Education to fund several ongoing, student-centered programs.
The grant will support the Kohler Teaching Scholars program, the Lakeland Promise Program, LU’s free student shuttle and expansion of counseling services for students.
“We are grateful to the Kohler Trust for the Arts and Education for their ongoing funding and partnership with us,” said Lakeland President Beth Borgen. “Working together, we are creating the next generation of leaders and contributing citizens in our region.”
Kohler Teaching Scholars: $65,000 will help fund recruitment of the next cohort of Kohler Teaching Scholars. This program provides scholarship support that, coupled with Lakeland’s Cooperative Education program, creates a unique, competitive pathway to home-grow more Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) teachers for the Sheboygan Area School District.
Funds will be used to award $5,000 annual scholarships to three incoming first-year students. This scholarship award is in addition to any other institutional scholarships and grants available to the students.
Remaining funds from the inaugural cohort will continue to be used to provide scholarships for students interested in dual-credit education courses in high school, as well as continued discussion with SASD to consider four-year education degrees for their BIPOC paraprofessionals through LU’s Kellett School.
Lakeland Promise Program: $100,000 will support this program, which provides qualified Wisconsin students an opportunity to attend Lakeland tuition/fees free for four years (up to three years for transfer students). The program currently supports 67 students with high financial need.
“This initiative aligns directly with our commitment to accessibility and affordability for students from all socioeconomic backgrounds,” Borgen said. “In order to positively impact the college attainment achievement gap in our nation, we must work to break the social mobility cycle and higher education achievement cycle often experienced by first-generation college students. The Lakeland Promise, aligned with our Co-Op program, is designed to do so.”
Cooperative Education transportation: $50,000 will support transportation expenses for Lakeland students to participate in off-campus Co-Op employment. Many Lakeland students do not have a vehicle on campus and therefore rely on LU’s campus shuttle to get to work. The Lakeland shuttle service provides an average of nearly 7,000 rides each year, and approximately 70% of those rides are work-related.
Expanded counseling services: $35,000 will help fund expenses necessary to provide enhanced counseling support to Lakeland students impacted by the pandemic.
