The Chancellor’s Scholarship Program was given a $10 million gift by a group of anonymous donors, UW-Madison announced Wednesday in a news release.
The donation will allow CSP to add faculty to the program to serve as student mentors, according to the release.
The scholarship works to improve educational opportunities for academically talented, underrepresented minority students, as well as socioeconomically disadvantaged students. There are currently 250 CSP students enrolled at UW-Madison.
Students who earn scholarships from the program tend to excel during their time at the university, according to the release. In 2011 CSP recipients had a four-year graduation rate of percent, higher than the campus-wide rate.
“These are the students that ruin the curve by getting 100 percent on exams,” said Heather Kozlowski, a leader in the program and senior engineering student. “My peers inspire me and I am constantly reminded and motivated to keep up,” Kozlowski said.
Chancellor Rebecca Blank praised the donation as a boost to academic opportunity.
“On behalf of the entire university community, I want to thank these generous donors for helping ensure that talented individuals from underrepresented groups are able to pursue their education at the UW,” Blank said. “This gift is not only an investment in these students, but in the entire campus.”
