Participants in innovative undergraduate initiatives such as the Undergraduate Research Program (URP) and Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) at the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater (UW-W) campus say they see positive strides for minority, low-income and underrepresented students.
URP, whose mission is to “create opportunities for inclusive participation,” is one of 15 programs that reside within the Office of Student Diversity, Engagement and Success (SDES). Some other high impact practice programs within this office are the McNair Scholars Program, Pre-College Program, King/Chavez Scholars, University Honors Program, Community-Based Learning, and the Office of Global Experiences, to name a few.
Research indicates that students who are engaged with their institution’s programs and clubs have a greater likelihood of favorable outcomes and success, said Dr. LaVar J. Charleston, the assistant vice chancellor of the Student Diversity, Engagement & Success Department at UW-W.
The literature “preaches the likelihood of matriculation through graduation, and also sort of prepares students for global readiness for the workforce,” Charleston told Diverse.
“One of the things about the undergraduate research program is that preliminary data indicate that … students who are participating in our RAP program, they are more likely than their nonparticipant peers to graduate at the six-year graduation rate,” said Charleston. “We are really looking at how to shrink the gap.”
RAP is offered to undergraduate freshmen, sophomores and transfer students and makes a priority of recruiting students from traditionally underserved populations.
“The URP and UW-W believe that part of a successful approach to retaining a diverse population of students and closing the achievement gap is to provide equitable access to high quality educational programs or practices that are known to be impactful for student retention and success,” said Dr. Catherine Chan, director of the URP and associate professor of biological sciences and chemistry.
