WASHINGTON, July 14 /EMWNews-FirstCall/ -- The Council of

Independent Colleges (CIC) and the Wal-Mart Foundation announced today the

winners of the new Wal-Mart College Success Awards. Through the awards

program, twenty CIC member colleges and universities, selected through a

highly competitive application process, will receive $100,000 grants to

help build on programs that support first-generation students.



    The Wal-Mart Foundation awarded CIC a $2.266 million grant in February

to establish and implement the College Success Awards. Each recipient

institution has demonstrated success in enrolling, retaining, and

graduating first-generation college students. The Wal-Mart Foundation grant

will support the continued success of the programs offered as well as the

preparation of a printed volume that will serve as a compendium of "best

practices" in recruiting and successfully educating first-generation

students.



    The winners are: Adrian College (MI), Bay Path College (MA), Bellarmine

University (KY), California Lutheran University, Carroll University (WI),

College of Idaho, College of Mount Saint Vincent (NY), College of Saint

Benedict (MN), College of St. Scholastica (MN), Florida Memorial

University, Illinois College, Juniata College (PA), Kalamazoo College (MI),

Lesley University (MA), Manchester College (IN), North Central College

(IL), Ripon College (WI), St. Edward's University (TX), Wartburg College

(IA), and Wiley College (TX).



    The programs offered at these 20 institutions represent the wide range

of approaches to working with first-generation students. Some institutions

focus on the unique needs of a particular subset of first-generation

students, such as foreign-born students, commuter students, transfer

students from community colleges, or students pursuing a teaching career. A

number of the award recipients offer transitional summer programs for

incoming students that help prepare them for college-level work and life

away from home. Others provide services such as mentoring, tutoring, career

development, and providing scholarships and stipends to help ensure success

for first-generation students.



    "The outstanding quality of these programs is truly a testament to the

efforts of small private colleges to ensure the success of first-generation

students," said CIC President Richard Ekman in announcing the awards. "It's

not surprising that more than a third of CIC's members applied for a

College Success Award -- these institutions have extraordinary success

rates in serving these students. For example, the graduation rate of

first-generation students at private institutions is 61 percent versus only

44 percent at public institutions."(1)



    "Wal-Mart is proud to support programs that enable first generation

students to succeed in college," said Margaret McKenna, president of the

Wal-Mart Foundation. "Wal-Mart's partnership with CIC identifies

institutions committed to the success of first generation students and will

help identify and share effective programs."



    At all colleges and universities nationwide, only 24 percent of

first-generation students succeed in earning a bachelor's degree compared

with 68 percent of students whose parents received a bachelor's degree(2).

The Wal-Mart College Success Award winners have developed programs that

result in higher percentages of graduates among their first-generation

college students than the national average. Many of the award recipients

graduate first-generation students at the same rate as all other students.



    For more information about the Wal-Mart College Success Awards and the

programs of the 20 winners, visit the CIC website at

http://www.cic.edu/projects_services/walmart_college_success.asp.

    About The Council of Independent Colleges



    The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) is an association of more

than 580 independent, liberal arts colleges and universities and higher

education affiliates and organizations that work together to strengthen

college and university leadership, sustain high-quality education, and

enhance private higher education's contributions to society. To fulfill

this mission, CIC provides its members with skills, tools, and knowledge

that address aspects of leadership, financial management and performance,

academic quality, and institutional visibility. The Council is

headquartered at One Dupont Circle in Washington, DC. For more information,

visit http://www.cic.edu/.



    About the Wal-Mart Foundation



    Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) and the Wal-Mart Foundation are proud

to support the charitable causes that are important to customers and

associates in their own neighborhoods. Through its philanthropic programs

and partnerships, the Wal-Mart Foundation supports initiatives focused on

enhancing opportunities in education, job skills training, sustainability

and health. In 2007, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and the Wal-Mart Foundation gave

$296 million to communities across the United States. To learn more, visit

http://www.walmartfoundation.org.



    (1) Source: National Association of Independent Colleges and

Universities, "Independent Colleges and Universities: A National Profile,"

2004



    (2) Source: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education

Statistics, National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, Fourth

Follow-up, Postsecondary Education Transcript Study, 2000.