A groundbreaking program that makes college a reality for thousands of Oregonians will serve as the foundation for a new era of access programs when UO President Michael Schill unveils his plan for enhancing student success.

Schill will celebrate the success of the innovative PathwayOregon program and outline new student success initiatives during his first all-campus address at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, in the Erb Memorial Union ballroom.

PathwayOregon is a scholarship and advising program that provides full tuition and fees to academically qualified Oregon freshman who are eligible for federal Pell Grants. It pairs financial aid with advising and mentoring to help students be successful and graduate in four years. The program is credited with improve the graduation rate of Pell Grant-eligible students year over year by more than 13 percent.

The program got a financial boost with a $25 million endowment gift from the Connie and Steve Ballmer family. The gift allows the university to further leverage federal Pell Grants and university money to expand the program to more than 700 freshmen this year. That is an increase of approximately 30 percent over the previous year. Additional money from the state legislature this year will also go towards PathwayOregon.

At this address, Schill will announce several new initiatives to expand student success programs and improve student retention and graduation. The address will also be live-streamed on the UO Channel here.