UW–Madison’s McQuillan Chosen for Prestigious Early-Career Program
April 29, 2025 | By School of Education/WCER Communications
Mollie McQuillan, a School of Education ELPA faculty member and WCER researcher
The William T. Grant Scholars program recently announced that Mollie McQuillan, a UW–Madison School of Education faculty member and Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) researcher focused on LGBTQ+ students, is one of five early-career scholars selected to join its latest class.
The prestigious program, sponsored by the William T. Grant Foundation since 1982, focuses on developing junior scholars working in the social, behavioral, and health sciences to improve the lives of young Americans. Honorees receive $425,000 over five years to help support research and mentoring plans proposed by the applicants to advance their research skills and knowledge.
“I’m very grateful for this honor and the opportunity to expand and improve my scholarship,” said McQuillan. “I look forward to continuing to build a better understanding of how policies and programs can change students’ lives in and outside the classroom.”
Specifically, McQuillan will use program funds to continue research on how school district administrators use education reform research findings to improve outcomes for LGBTQ+ students. As an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis, McQuillan is expected to sharpen practical research skills in survey development and program evaluation.
Competition for the program is rigorous. Schools and colleges may nominate only one applicant annually. For the latest class, 10 finalists out of 58 applicants were announced in December 2024. Finalist interviews were held in February, leading to the March selection of McQuillan and four peers from outside UW–Madison as members of the William T. Grant Scholars Class of 2030.
McQuillan’s selection to the program is the latest recognition of her work as a scholar and researcher. In 2023 and 2025, McQuillan received Emerging Scholar Awards from the American Educational Research Association and its 2023 Outstanding Policy Report award for a paper that examined the efficacy of a Wisconsin school district’s programs for supporting LGBTQ+ students.
