Mike Wilson attends Clinton Global Initiative University

2013 Apr 10

Mike Wilson, from Wilmington, DE, was one of eight UD students and recent graduates who were selected to share their ideas at the annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U), April 5-7, at Washington University in St. Louis.

Senior Mike Wilson, from Wilmington, Del., returned to college after a 31-year career at Hewlett-Packard to work on a bachelor's degree in anthropology to add to his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering and an MBA. He designed the Pre-kindergarten Reading Encouragement Project, or "PREP," to help pre-schoolers from low-income families get off to a stronger start as learners, as research has shown how early literacy translates into better high school graduation rates and higher earnings. Wilson was notified on March 27 that his project has been selected as a semifinalist for the Resolution Social Venture Challenge Forum, opening the door to potentially more funding. Wilson will have the opportunity to make a formal presentation and answer questions from a panel of judges at the CGI U meeting. "Children entering kindergarten come with differing reading abilities based on their family's economic situations," Wilson says. "Yet it's not just money that influences early literacy, a lot depends on the support of those around them and the print environment of the home." Through PREP, Wilson wants to provide three- and four-year-olds from low-income backgrounds at two preschools in inner-city Wilmington with kits filled with letter and number activities and a subscription to a children's magazine to increase their in-home reading and their potential for success in kindergarten and elementary school.

UD?recently joined the network of more than 30 universities and colleges, founded by former President Bill Clinton to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses in solving world problems. More than 1,000 students from around the globe will meet to discuss their "Commitment to Action"?proposals and to formulate concrete plans for implementation.

For more information about the program, visit the CGI U website: http://www.cgiu.org