In January 1979, the Five-Year Program officially changed its name to the Academic Advancement Program (AAP). The name was changed to AAP to reflect that the students who were in the program, like other students at Madison, have the potential and can graduate in four years. AAP was an academic unit in the Division of Academic Services and continued admit and retain students who have been traditionally underserved by institutions of higher education. Students in AAP represent diverse ethnic/racial groups.
In 1990 the Academic Advancement Program added a third objective to the two original ones created during the time of the Five-Year Program.
The three objectives were:
- Recruitment activities included AAP and the Office of Admissions forming a working relationship in order to understand that when a historically underrepresented minority applies to the Office of Admission and doesn’t meet the traditional requirements, then automatically, they are sent an AAP application and invited to consider AAP as a vehicle for admission, or is referred to AAP for input.
- Retention activities included a comprehensive New Student Orientation for new AAP students, early advising and schedule-planning, full-time reading and writing instruction opportunities, individual tutorials in “at-risk” courses as identified by students, linkages with campus-wide resources and services, and ongoing support and academic guidance.
- Orientation activities for new students included a seven-day intensive orientation program which allowed AAP students to become informed about the many facets and expectations of the University campus before they registered and started classes. The program consisted of a variety of learning and academically oriented activities.
“To recruit, enroll, retain, and graduate a diverse group of individuals, who despite a non-traditional academic background, demonstrate commitment and readiness for higher education at a world class Research University. The program seeks candidates who are representative of the minority and economically disadvantaged groups in our society.” — Academic Advancement Program’s Mission Statement