WINGATE, N.C. — Wingate University has received a $1 million grant from The Leon Levine Foundation to improve college access in rural eastern Union County and neighboring counties.
The grant, to be disbursed over five years, will create a comprehensive support system for students from eighth grade through post-college employment, focusing on first-generation and economically disadvantaged students.
“This integrated approach addresses the ‘leaky pipeline’ that disproportionately impacts first-generation students and those from economically disadvantaged areas,” says Kacey Grantham, Wingate’s senior vice president of career pathways.
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The grant will help expand successful college-access programs, boost student-support efforts for underrepresented populations, and implement more career-focused programs.
The primary initiatives covered by the Levine grant fall under three main topic areas: access, attainment, and career placement.
The University will use grant money to expand the successful UC Guarantee and Wayfind programs to neighboring counties (access); implement targeted retention programs for at-risk students (attainment); and increase the number of experiential-learning and networking opportunities and mentorship programs (career placement). Many of these programs will be designed for low-income and first-generation students.
Over the years, the Leon Levine Foundation has given millions of dollars to Wingate University. Because of the foundation’s ongoing support, the University established the Levine College of Health Sciences in 2009 and the Leon Levine Foundation Endowed Scholarship in 2003.
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