South Carolina educators visit Milwaukee to learn about M³

Three people share a laugh before a meeting.
Jean Salzer (from left), director of UWM’s Career Planning and Resource Center; Leslie Hull-Ryde, director of news and information at the University of South Carolina-Aiken, and Joseph Maddalena, UWM’s director of foundation relations, exchange greetings before a meeting at UWM.

A delegation from Aiken County, South Carolina, public schools visited the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus to learn about M3, the multifaceted collaboration among UWM, Milwaukee Area Technical College and Milwaukee Public Schools focused on improving educational attainment.

The South Carolina delegation met on June 24 with UWM Chancellor Mark Mone along with other campus officials about M3 (pronounced M-cubed), which graduated its inaugural Early College pilot program class of 32 students in May. The visit included stops at MPS’ Vincent High School and MATC.

Representatives from the University of South Carolina-Aiken, Aiken Technical College and the Aiken County Public School District heard about various M3 goals, which include boosting student achievement, ensuring students have necessary resources to advance to college and into the workforce, and closing the equity gap in educational attainment.

Aiken County officials first learned about M3 after MPS Superintendent Keith Posley, MATC President Vicki Martin and UWM Associate Vice Chancellor Phyllis King were invited to make a presentation about the partnership to a joint meeting in March of the American Association of Community Colleges and AASA: The School Superintendents Association.