Eastern Promise leader named “Edu-Preneur”

Submitted photo / Eastern Promise Executive Director Dan Mielke, right, with Dain Blanton, celebrity spokesperson for Focus on Freshmen, Career Choices and Get Focused…Stay Focused!™ initiatives.

Eastern Promise leader Dan Mielke receives prestigious “Edu-Preneur” award

News contact: Laura Hancock | University Advancement
541-962-3585 | lhancock@eou.edu 

Source contact: Josh Molina | Academic Innovations, Inc.
805-705-4138 | www.academicinnovations.com/media

July 29, 2015

LA GRANDE, Ore. – Dan Mielke, the innovator behind Eastern Promise, one of the nation’s most successful academic collaborations, was honored with the prestigious “Edu-Preneur” award at the annual Focus on Freshmen 2015 conference held July 19-21 in Los Angeles, Calif.

Academic Innovations, Inc. recognized Mielke for his innovation, vision and creativity in leading thousands of students on a positive path toward academic focus and success in high school, college and beyond.

“Dan Mielke exudes passion, drive and determination, all qualities that he helps instill in students on a daily basis,” said Mindy Bingham, founder and president of Academic Innovations. “His entrepreneurial spirit has transformed the lives of students, families and teachers in immeasurable ways.”

Eastern Promise is a collaboration between Eastern Oregon University, the InterMountain Education Service District (IMESD), Blue Mountain and Treasure Valley community colleges, and 22 school districts in eastern Oregon.

Through a series of innovative programs, Eastern Promise sets out to increase the number of eastern Oregon high school students who attend college or seek post-secondary training to pursue employment in the real world by enabling them to participate in college-level courses and earn credits while in high school.

Eastern Promise uses a program called Success 101, which requires students to earn college credits as they begin to develop a 10-year plan for success, beginning in their ninth grade of high school. It’s a program that’s part of the Get Focused…Stay Focused!™ Initiative that has been successful all over the nation, as part of a collaboration among colleges and high schools.

Eastern Promise is different from other accelerated learning programs in that it is backed with a robust curriculum where teachers and administrators participate with their peers in Professional Learning Communities, or PLCs.

According to Eastern Promise, 81 percent of Eastern Promise participants enrolled in a college or university in 2013-2014, while just 53 percent of students who graduated and took no Eastern Promise college credit courses and 56 percent of students statewide went on to enroll.

“I am honored to receive this tremendous recognition from my peers,” Mielke said. “We at Eastern Promise strive to provide students the tools to believe in themselves and learn the skills they need to be successful in college and the modern workplace.”

To learn more about the program contact Mielke at dmielke@eou.edu or visit eastern-promise.org.