Posted 10:33 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014
Thanks to the generosity of so many alumni and friends, the university is on track to meet its goal of raising $15 million for new student scholarships through the Share the La Crosse Experience scholarship campaign.
Thanks to the generosity of so many alumni and friends, the university is on track to meet its goal of raising $15 million for new student scholarships through the Share the La Crosse Experience scholarship campaign. Entering year two of the seven-year campaign, more than $4 million has been raised and more than 50 new scholarship funds have been created. Students from departments across campus have felt the impact.
Need-based Scholarships
One scholarship area the university would like to expand is need-based scholarships, particularly those without restrictions such as a specific field of study. Every year, more students and their families require financial aid to help make the possibility of obtaining a UW-L degree a reality. As the demand for financial aid grows, so does student debt.
UW-L is considered a great value. UW-L is ranked the state’s best and the No. 4 public university in the Midwest on U.S. News & World Report’s 2015 America’s Best Colleges list of Best Regional Universities in the Midwest. UW-L is also No. 4 on Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s list of 25 Best College Values Under $30,000 a Year.
Although a UW-L degree is considered a great investment, as each year passes, and state funding for higher education continues to decline, it becomes more difficult to maintain that value.
How you can help
Help us fill the gap! Only a handful of federal programs — mostly loans — and one state program are available to help students with the highest levels of documented need. In addition, a large number of UW-L students narrowly miss the threshold for these programs and do not qualify for any grant support. With two out of three UW-L students graduating with a significant amount of debt — and so much uncertainty on the long-term stability of government programs — UW-L wants to create its own source of assistance designed to help students who need it the most. Consider establishing a scholarship fund through the UW-L Foundation that will provide assistance to students with the greatest financial need.“We want to make sure that every student who wishes to attend UW-L will have that opportunity so that financial ability is not a factor in our admissions process.” - Heidi Macpherson, Ph.D., Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
