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MIAD Receives Transformative Title III Grant to Serve Students

The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) received a Title III grant from the U.S. Department of Education in the amount of $2,242,315 over five years, with a MIAD match of $350,000 to an endowed fund over the five years.

“Receiving this highly competitive Title III grant recognizes MIAD’s growing reputation for addressing challenges in higher education and contemporary student needs, as well as the college’s growth and stability,” says MIAD president Jeff Morin.

The grant provides funds for MIAD to create and refurbish a Student Success Center from an existing space, where its Academic Services and Individual Success Services will be coalesced and supplemented.

“A Title III grant is transformative for a college of MIAD’s size and the students we serve, 36 percent of whom are Federal Pell-grant eligible, twenty-five percent of whom are first-generation college students, thirty percent with documented disabilities, and thirty-five percent of whom self-identify as students of color,” says Morin.

The grant also provides for:

  • Adding three positions including a caseworker to provide mentorship and assist students in accessing external resources to mitigate their risk of leaving college; an experiential learning manager to expand and coordinate learning opportunities, such as internships and real-world client projects while providing career advising and profession-specific guidance; and a Title III project manager.
  • Creating professional development training for faculty and staff on topics geared toward student success in the classroom, such as neurodivergence, accommodations, and mental health.
  • Establishing a Student Success Center Endowment to sustain programming after the Title III grant period ends in 2029.

“Through the grant and President Morin’s leadership, MIAD aims to increase enrollment, stabilize first-to-second year retention rates, and increase six-year graduation rates among all students and students traditionally considered to have a high risk of leaving college before obtaining a degree,” says Tracy Milkowski, vice president for advancement.