UW-Madison’s Center for Educational Opportunity (CeO), will celebrate 25 years of supporting low-income, disabled and first-generation college students with a free event at 6 p.m. on Dec. 7 at Memorial Union. Please RSVP by Nov. 29.
CeO began in 1993 with a U.S. Department of Education TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) grant to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The grant was written by Walter Lane, an assistant dean in the School of Education, who was dedicated to providing educational opportunities to students from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds.
Driven by his service in the Vietnam War, Lane noticed service members who were recruited to fight in the front lines had little opportunities for other career paths. Lane came back to the United States with a determination to complete the education and experience he needed in order to help other people like himself. When he retired in 2008, Lane left a legacy of programs serving thousands of students each year at UW–Madison. In addition to the SSS grant, Lane brought the Ronald E. McNair, POSSE, and PEOPLE programs to campus.