Daily Pioneer News

Gloria Stephenson, professor of English, Carol Sue Butts, provost of UWP and Carolyn Schuler, director of the Platteville Public Library

PLATTEVILLE - The Platteville Area Literacy Council Inc., directed by Gloria Stephenson, a retired professor of English from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, recently announced that it has received its first grant monies from the International Delta Kappa Gamma Society Education Fund Program. Carol Sue Butts, provost of UWP, is the president of the local chapter (Mu chapter) of DKG and serves on the advisory board for the council.

The gift from IDKG will support the council's Read and Do project, which will consist of presentations on such topics as understanding the many resources available at public libraries; helping English as a Second or Other Language users; using the library's computers; and developing job application and letter writing skills. The presentations, 18 in all, will begin in summer 2008 and will extend through spring 2009.

Since 2006, establishing the Literacy Council has been a collaborative effort by Stephenson; Butts; Carolyn Schuler, director of the Platteville Public Library, as well as many other current and former faculty and staff at UWP and key members of the Platteville community. The organization will devote itself to helping all people seeking to improve their English reading, writing and speaking skills, as well as other areas of literacy.

"Our focus will be on older teens and adults, but we want to be a resource for anyone who has an interest in improving literacy in any number of areas, from reading and writing to mathematics and computer technology. We╒re fortunate to have a diverse group of volunteers who will be able to help people of all ages and learning styles," said Stephenson.

Geographically, the group believes it can best serve Grant County, eastern Crawford County, western Lafayette County, and the southwest corner of Iowa County, concentrating on communities within a 35 mile radius of Platteville. The all-volunteer council consists of teachers and professionals in physics, chemistry, software programming and other technologies, mathematics, reading instruction, technical and business writing, English as a Second or Other Language, home economics and engineering. Most of the presentations will take place at the Platteville Public Library.

"Working with the Literacy Council on these presentations will further promote the idea of our public library as a community center, a place where people gather and learn together. We will have instructional materials on hand related to each presentation, and we're looking forward to helping people find resources as they are learning about new subjects and developing new skills," said Schuler.

Stephenson explained that her motivation in gathering these education professionals together is the fact that the literacy rate in the U.S. has been falling for years and, according to the 1996 National Adult Literacy Survey, many employers say they are "unable to find workers with reading, writing and math competencies required in the workplace." Wisconsin surveys confirm that trend and suggest that as many as one million people in Wisconsin could benefit from additional tutoring and resources.

The International Delta Kappa Gamma Society has as its primary goal to support women╒s educational achievements. The IDKG Education Fund program awards grants to support and encourage intercultural understanding; encourage excellence in education; and assist and cooperate with schools, colleges, universities and other organizations to improve education.

Anyone interested in learning more about the Platteville Area Literacy Council may contact Stephenson at (608) 342-9162.

Contact: Gloria Stephenson, retired professor of English, UWP College of Liberal Arts and Education, (608) 342-9162, stepheng@uwplatt.edu Written by: Evelyn Martens, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, martense@uwplatt.edu