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Program targets UW-W dropouts

WHITEWATER — Former UW-Whitewater students who left school one semester short of a bachelor's degree are the targets of a new outreach program.

"These students made a huge investment, but never completed their education," said Jodi Hare-Paynter, interim registrar and interim admissions director. "We want to help them graduate."

The program is made possible by a two-year grant of almost $90,000 from the UW System Committee on Baccalaureate Expansion. More than 300 former students who attended UW-Whitewater between 2001 and 2009 have been identified for the program.

Not much is known about the students or why they didn't finish their degrees, Hare-Paynter said.

"Life got in the way," she said.

A student might have failed a class, gotten married, had children or quit school to work full time in his or her last semester.

"There are so many circumstances surrounding why they did not complete school," she said. "It's not one size fits all."

Betty Villalobos-Hallman, 49, Darien, knows firsthand the struggles of returning to school years after dropping out.

She attended college almost 30 years ago but dropped out after a few semesters because she was homesick, was struggling in school and had little money. She was married in 1999 and gave birth to her daughter in 2000.

Villalobos-Hallman decided to return to school and earn a degree to set a good example for her daughter, who now is 9 years old.

"We've been talking about college since she could talk and walk," she said. "How could you preach education to somebody when you haven't finished yourself?"

Villalobos-Hallman graduated in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in liberal studies and now is an adult student adviser in the Adult Student Outreach Program.

She will graduate in December with a master's degree in educational leadership.

She uses her experience to help adult students transition back to college.

"Every single person who comes through here … I'm with them," she said. "You understand … You're juggling work and school and family … We're not alone. We're all going through this together, and we all can accomplish the dream of that degree."

Hare-Paynter said helping former students return to school to complete their degrees has been a "burning issue" among UW-Whitewater officials for several years, and the UW System grant finally offered the means to get the program off the ground. About 70 former students have contacted or have returned to school, and about 20 have received their degrees, she said.

"Sometimes it's as easy as finishing one class. Sometimes it's not even taking a class, it's completing volunteer work, like for the business school," she said.

Villalobos-Hallman said an outreach program for returning adult students is essential.

"So many times the thought is there, the basic idea of coming back is there, but sometimes you get lost in the bureaucracy and you get frustrated and you throw in the towel," she said. "But if you know you can call someone who's been through it, who understands you … you've got someone who will sit there and walk you right through it all."