Posted 3:56 p.m. Thursday, July 12, 2012
[caption id="attachment_13327" align="alignright" width="400" caption="Students from Rufus King Middle School met UW-L’s mascot on Monday. They were also introduced to UW-L faculty and staff who helped them gain a better understanding of what they could study in college and the importance of good grades and behavior."]
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Nearly 40 Rufus King Middle School students got a snapshot of life at UW-L on Monday and Tuesday. The students met a theater director, a scientist and an expert stargazer. They shook hands with Colbert the eagle and searched the campus on a scavenger hunt.
This is the second year students from the middle school took an academic field trip to UW-L as part of the university’s long-term plan to recruit more multicultural students. The trip also offers middle school students an up-close look at college life.
“This is a great opportunity for UW-L to promote higher education to middle school students and to show them the opportunities available to them,” says Corey Sjoquist, UW-L’s director of Admissions.
While this is only the second year of the academic field trip, UW-L’s partnership with Rufus King is many years in the making. Throughout the years, UW-L faculty and staff have visited Rufus King High School for college fairs and guest lectures. This partnership, as well as other multicultural recruitment efforts, has helped improve the diversity of the student body. In fall 2001, 4.8 percent of students were students of color. By fall 2011, that number was 7.6 percent, according to UW-L Institutional Research data.
So why does UW-L focus on Rufus King Middle School? Sjoquist says it’s an ethnically diverse and academically strong middle school, and it is a feeder school for Rufus King High School. Rufus King High School students have traditionally been well prepared for college. In fact, many are already studying at UW-L. For fall 2012, 26 Rufus King High School graduates will be enrolled.
View more photos of Rufus King Middle School's academic field trip.
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Nearly 40 Rufus King Middle School students got a snapshot of life at UW-L on Monday and Tuesday. The students met a theater director, a scientist and an expert stargazer. They shook hands with Colbert the eagle and searched the campus on a scavenger hunt.
This is the second year students from the middle school took an academic field trip to UW-L as part of the university’s long-term plan to recruit more multicultural students. The trip also offers middle school students an up-close look at college life.
“This is a great opportunity for UW-L to promote higher education to middle school students and to show them the opportunities available to them,” says Corey Sjoquist, UW-L’s director of Admissions.
While this is only the second year of the academic field trip, UW-L’s partnership with Rufus King is many years in the making. Throughout the years, UW-L faculty and staff have visited Rufus King High School for college fairs and guest lectures. This partnership, as well as other multicultural recruitment efforts, has helped improve the diversity of the student body. In fall 2001, 4.8 percent of students were students of color. By fall 2011, that number was 7.6 percent, according to UW-L Institutional Research data.
So why does UW-L focus on Rufus King Middle School? Sjoquist says it’s an ethnically diverse and academically strong middle school, and it is a feeder school for Rufus King High School. Rufus King High School students have traditionally been well prepared for college. In fact, many are already studying at UW-L. For fall 2012, 26 Rufus King High School graduates will be enrolled.
View more photos of Rufus King Middle School's academic field trip.