The Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation in Madison, Wisconsin, has announced grants totaling $1.8 million to fourteen programs working to increase degree, diploma, and/or certificate completion rates among Wisconsin college students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Awarded through the organization's Wisconsin Postsecondary Persistence Program as part of its community investments initiative, the grants will support efforts to strengthen the connection between students from disadvantaged backgrounds and their college campuses and communities. According to the organization, studies have found that students who lack socioeconomic or educational advantages — including minorities, students from low-income backgrounds, and first-generation college freshmen — are the most likely to leave college without a degree. To that end, the grants will be used to advance programs that have developed specific strategies to address the unique challenges facing the disadvantaged student population.

Grant recipients include College Possible ($255,904), which uses a technology-based coaching model to help connect participants to campus resources, other students, and potential employers; Mount Mary College ($214,000), which is working to address the non-academic challenges of staying in college through its Promise Plus program; and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee ($146,322), which, through its Life Impact Program, provides services to parent-students from disadvantaged backgrounds throughout their academic career.

"We are pleased to partner with Wisconsin colleges, universities, and community-based organizations in their efforts to provide targeted services designed to help disadvantaged students finish their postsecondary education," said Great Lakes president and CEO Richard D. George. "The results-focused approaches these programs use can become models for programs elsewhere, and can help ensure that more students are able to reach their full potential."

For a complete list of grant recipients, visit the Great Lakes Web site.