Alverno College, a liberal arts educational institution for women in Milwaukee, has launched the Thea Bowman Institute for Excellence and Leadership, a program designed to serve Black women through academic leadership programming. The institute is named for a Franciscan, Catholic sister, teacher, and scholar educated in Wisconsin who made significant contributions to the church’s ministry to Blacks.
Nine students have been accepted into the Institute, which includes a full-tuition scholarship and a rigorous, robustly crafted leadership development program designed to prepare participants for professional roles in pursuit of social change and service. Using a cohort-based model, the Institute provides students with a dedicated advisor, alumnae mentors, exclusive networking opportunities, and guaranteed internship opportunities. Ronett Jacobs has been appointed the Institute’s director.
“The time is now, and the place is Alverno, for this Institute to flourish and attract Milwaukee’s best, brightest and most committed Black women seeking to experience the power of an Alverno education,” said Jacobs, an Alverno alumna. “Thea Bowman Scholars are women who know, ‘I was sent here to do something great, and I’m determined to do that.'”
Alverno College enrolls about 1,750 students, according to the latest data supplied to the U.S. Department of Education. African Americans make up 13 percent of the student body.
