Legacy Awards Honor Milwaukee Leaders Striving to Empower Adults Through Education
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2009
Milwaukee Achiever Literacy Services recognized five outstanding Legacy Award winners at a luncheon held on Thursday, September 24, 2009, at the Joel Read Rotunda & Conference Center at Alverno College. The Legacy Awards honor those who strive to empower adults through education. They were presented to members of Milwaukee’s academic and business communities by WISN news anchor Toya Washington. This year’s winners were:
- Dr. Mary J. Meehan, President, Alverno College, recognized for fine-tuning and promoting ability-based learning as an organizing principle for adult education.
- Gloria Pitchford-Nicholas, Dean, Pre-College Education, Milwaukee Area Technical College, honored for creating optimal learning environments for adults preparing for GED (General Educational Development) and ELL (English Language Learning) assessment.
- Dr. Eileen Schwalbach, President, Mount Mary College, recognized for supporting the Mount Mary College in Community program, a “bridge to college” opportunity that gives adult learners who might never have considered post-secondary school a real start on a college degree.
- Dr. Helen Sobehart, President, Cardinal Stritch University, honored for her international work promoting access to basic education as a way for women and minorities to break down social barriers and attain community leadership roles.
- Executive Women International, represented by past president Roxane Theisen Kapp, acknowledged for their continuing “hands-on” approach to raising money and materials in support of literacy education.
The keynote speaker for the event was David Harvey, President and CEO of ProLiteracy, the world’s largest organization for adult education advocacy, training, accreditation, and the publication of learning materials. Harvey opened his address by telling the story of a bright, young honors student from Kenya who came to the United States in 1958 on a scholarship from ProLiteracy’s predecessor organization, Laubach Literacy International. “That student authored three primers that combined teaching basic literacy skills and good farming practices, health, and citizenship – under the mentorship of one of the Laubach founders,” said Harvey. “That student’s name was Barack H. Obama, who went on to have a son, who is now President of the United States.” Harvey said, “I tell that story because the early ‘modern era’ work of literacy pioneers parallels your own work right here in Milwaukee. Today, we are teaching adult literacy in the context of people’s lives. It’s a transformational experience at every level, from personal, to local, to national – and even international.”
While calling adult education transformational, Harvey quoted some uninspiring statistics. In August 2009, unemployment was 15 percent among African-American workers, 13 percent among Hispanic workers, and 15.6 percent for people over the age of 25 with less than a high school diploma. These populations also make up the majority of adults who have below basic literacy skills as measured by the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy.
Harvey described illiteracy in the United States a national crisis that has been exposed by the recent economic collapse, and predicted that adults with low literacy skills will continue to slow economic recovery unless the government and the adult education community find new ways to prepare our workforce to compete on a global scale. “A high school diploma or GED is not enough,” said Harvey. “The U.S. Labor Department reports that people will need an associate’s degree or more to qualify for the jobs that will be available in the next five years.” Harvey emphasized the need for literacy programs to create the expectation among students and teachers of the importance of continuing education, so individuals can gain the skills necessary to compete for family-sustaining employment.
Harvey praised the cutting-edge work of the Legacy Award winners in creating new programming, new partnerships and a broader framework to define literacy in the new economy. “I ask that you share with other literacy programs the best practices that you developed,” Harvey said.
Milwaukee Achiever will sponsor the Legacy Awards again in October 2010. Nomination opportunities will be posted six months prior to the event at www.MilwaukeeAchiever.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Claudia Scholl, Communications & Marketing Coordinator
414-463-5108, ext. 106, or cscholl@milwaukeeachiever.org
Peg Palmer, Executive Director, is available for interviews
