Froedtert Hospital has announced an agreement to establish an $11.5 million Froedtert Hospital Scholarship Program that will benefit the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Milwaukee Area Technical College.
The 20-year program will fund scholarships for underprivileged and deserving students, with each institution receiving $5.75 million. More specifically, funds may be used toward full- and part-time certificate, undergrad and post-graduate courses of study in health-related fields.
“We are extremely grateful to Froedtert Hospital for this gift, which will provide educational opportunities for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of students from Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin,” UWM Chancellor Mark Mone said. “It will support and enhance the work that UWM, MATC and the Milwaukee Public Schools are already doing through our M³ partnership to support families, improve graduation rates and better prepare students for college. Working together, we can support students in health care at all stages of their college career.”
Froedtert Health said that the scholarship program was developed to address multiple needs, including to expand the pool of highly skilled and well-trained health care workers in Southeast Wisconsin and to meet the needs of the ever-changing and increasingly sophisticated medical field.
“The Milwaukee Area Technical College and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee were chosen for their strong local presence and steadfast commitment to providing educational opportunities to those who live and work in the community,” said Eric Conley, executive vice president of Froedtert Health and and president of Froedtert Hospital. “Equally important was the opportunity each institution offers students who traditionally might not have access to post-secondary education, fundamental to the scholarship program. Foundationally, this gift also continues to honor our commitment to health equity across the region by helping eliminate health care disparities and addressing social determinants of health like education and employment.”
Portions of the scholarship funds will also be allocated to graduates of Milwaukee Public Schools and will also include a need-based component.
“This is the largest-ever donation to the Milwaukee Area Technical College Foundation and it represents the opportunity to transform hundreds of lives in our community,” MATC President Vicki J. Martin said. “We are grateful for this meaningful gift from Froedtert Hospital and together we will prepare Milwaukee’s diverse future health care workforce, reduce skills gaps and workforce shortages, and continue to break down the barriers that stand between students and an education that connects to a career with a family-supporting income. The support Froedtert Hospital is providing to our partners at UWM and the inclusion of opportunities specifically for MPS students will further strengthen the work of M³ to transform the future of Milwaukee through education.”
The program will be funded through a charitable grant from the Kurtis Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital Trust and is pursuant to a Community Partnership Initiative Funding Agreement between Froedtert Hospital, the Kurtis Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital Trust, and the Wisconsin Attorney General. That agreement is subject to approval by the Milwaukee County Circuit Court.
Additional details on the scholarships will be provided when the agreement is finalized.
