minority students who were enrolled in fall 2001, up from the previous year

students who lived in residential learning communities

faculty and staff who participated in campus-sponsored professional development opportunities

Although he's only a freshman, La'Mondre Taylor has already spent some of the best summers of his life at UW-Madison.

A participant in an innovative program called PEOPLE (Pre-college Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence), Taylor spent several weeks during each of the last four summers on campus, living in a residence hall, taking classes, and even participating in an internship at a neighborhood legal clinic through the Law School.

"After being here every summer, making the transition to college wasn't a drastic change," he says. "It makes you feel more comfortable with college life."

A partnership between Milwaukee and Racine public high schools and UW-Madison, PEOPLE is aimed at improving campus climate and identifying African American, American Indian, Asian American (with emphasis on Southeast Asian American), Hispanic, and disadvantaged students with strong academic potential.

Madison public schools are also involved at the middle-school level.

Launched in 1999, PEOPLE is one aspect of the university's strategic plan priority to address human resources and a central UW-Madison initiative in Plan 2008, an effort to increase diversity.

Upon high school graduation, PEOPLE students accepted at UW-Madison are eligible for a five-year tuition grant. Taylor, a 2002 graduate of Milwaukee's Rufus King High School, is part of a cohort of 24 first-year students, the first to complete the program and enroll in the university.

"After watching this group work so hard, we're very excited that many have come back to Madison," says Paul Barrows, vice chancellor for student affairs. "We're hopeful that they'll be the first of many PEOPLE graduates who go on to become UW-Madison graduates."

The program has also established a diverse pipeline of several hundred students from Milwaukee, Racine, and Madison schools who could follow in Taylor's footsteps and attend UW-Madison during the next few years.

Taylor, who is headed for a major in the College of Letters and Science — and possibly a career in law someday — says he's enjoyed attending a football game and spending time with old friends from PEOPLE, along with new friends from his classes and residence hall.

He believes the program will play a major factor in building the numbers of students of color and, as a result, help make the campus a more diverse and welcoming place.

"In my experience, PEOPLE is working," he says. "If I could give anyone in high school advice it would be this: 'Get into the program. You can learn a lot.'"