The University of the Incarnate Word has been selected by the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) to receive a Wal-Mart Minority Student Success Award—a $100,000 grant to help build on UIW’s demonstrated successes in enrolling, retaining, and graduating first-generation college students. UIW was one of only 15 minority-serving institutions (MSIs) selected through a highly competitive application process to strengthen efforts to support first-generation students.

“The University of the Incarnate Word is honored to be selected as one of the outstanding institutions of higher education nationwide to receive this award,” said Dr. David Jurenovich, VP for Enrollment Management & Student Services. “Thanks to the generosity and vision of Wal-Mart, the university will be able to continue to enhance and expand our commitment to first-generation students and their success.”

UIW’s Student Success Award will be used to introduce a faculty development program focused on first generation sophomore student success. The initiative will educate faculty on sophomore challenges and ways of realigning teaching approaches to address these challenges and structure opportunities for faculty to share and be recognized for successful models for serving first generation sophomore students. UIW faculty will apply these strategies to first generation sophomore students through a cohesive freshman to sophomore transition initiative, to be conducted in advance of the sophomore year “We are excited to be working with such a diverse group of minority-serving institutions focused on improving the success of this critical student group,” said IHEP president Michelle Asha Cooper. “Their planned initiatives demonstrate a long-term commitment to first generation student success that builds on their well-established mission to retain and graduate underserved student populations.”

“The Wal-Mart Foundation is committed to helping our nation’s young adults live better – supporting programs that provide access to higher education is a key part of our commitment,” said Margaret McKenna, president of the Wal-Mart Foundation. “We are confident that our partnership with the Institute for Higher Education Policy and minority-serving institutions will positively impact many first-generation college students and assure their academic success.

Approximately 41 percent of students enrolled at MSIs are first-generation college students, compared to 30 percent of students at predominately white institutions. Because of their overrepresentation of first-generation students, MSIs are ideally situated to improve retention and persistence gaps for these students.

The Wal-Mart College Success Awards program is administered by IHEP and made possible by a generous $4.2 million grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation. 

IHEP will select a second cohort of Wal-Mart Minority Student Success institutions in spring 2010.

For more information, contact Margaret Garcia, associate director of public relations at 210-829-6001 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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