FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |   April 25, 2016

Chambersburg, Pa. — Wilson College has received an AmeriCorps/VISTA grant from the Pennsylvania Campus Compact (PACC) to provide a full-time coordinator for the college’s volunteer, migrant education tutoring program.

The six-year-old migrant education tutoring program, done in partnership with Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12, has provided after-school tutoring for children of migrant farmworkers in the Chambersburg area. The overall purpose of this program, which has been dubbed Learning Campus, is to expose children to college life.

The program has evolved to the point where it needs formal structure, increased direction of student volunteers and an educational curriculum that employs Pennsylvania core standards, according to Wilson Vice President for Student Development Mary Beth Williams, who oversees the tutoring program along with Lynn Newman, Wilson’s education division chair, and Eric Mandell, LIU student support specialist.

“We are very excited that we have received this opportunity from PACC,” said Williams. “I’m hoping that with someone solely dedicated to the Learning Campus program, our efforts will continue to be both successful and sustainable. We want the program to empower the children of migrant workers in Franklin County and encourage them to unlock their full academic potential.”

The AmeriCorps/VISTA worker will recruit, train and manage tutors and grow the capacity of the program into a sustainable and academically sound opportunity for children. The program is intended to build connections for the elementary school students with hands-on enrichment activities provided by Wilson’s academic departments.

The goal is to create a sustainable Learning Campus tutoring program within three years.

The VISTA coordinator will be provided with both housing and a meal plan from Wilson and will receive a stipend from PACC. Williams said she is hopeful the VISTA coordinator will be at work in time for the fall semester.

The VISTA coordinator, who will act as a liaison between the College and the LIU, will also seek to identify further community engagement opportunities within the migrant and seasonal farmworker community for Wilson students.

The tutoring program currently provides literacy and math enrichment services twice a week throughout the school year to 30 to 35 children in kindergarten through fifth grade within the LIU’s Migrant Education Program. Under the current partnership, the LIU is responsible for working with the families of the children who come to campus, and Wilson provides the tutoring part of the program.

In addition to the children being tutored, Wilson students who volunteer with the program – many of whom are majoring in education – also benefit through experiential learning.

Wilson College is one of 20 colleges in the state to receive an AmeriCorps/VISTA grant through PACC. The ultimate aim of PACC’s grant program is to address pressing community needs while fostering higher education institutions as agents of community change. The program is also designed to develop AmeriCorps/VISTA members as future leaders in the public service arena. 

MEDIA CONTACT:       
Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations
Phone: 717-262-2604
Email: cathy.mentzer@wilson.edu

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Founded in 1869, Wilson College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering bachelor’s degrees in 29 majors and seven master’s degrees. Wilson is committed to providing an affordable education that offers value to its students beyond graduation.

Located in Chambersburg, Pa., the college had a fall 2015 enrollment of 923, which includes students from 22 states and 16 countries. Visit www.wilson.edu for more information.