Concord University’s Upward Bound Program has been awarded two Federal TRIO Programs grants totaling more than $660,000 per year for five years. The funding will continue programming that provides academic skills and motivation for area high school students in their pursuit of a college degree,
High school students from five southern West Virginia counties will benefit from the grants. The counties and the high schools served are: Greenbrier County – Greenbrier East High School and Greenbrier West High School; McDowell County – Mount View High School and River View High School; Mercer County – Bluefield High School, Montcalm High School, PikeView High School and Princeton Senior High School; Monroe County – James Monroe High School; and Summers County – Summers County High School.
Students participating in Upward Bound receive tutorial assistance at their local high schools, attend Saturday enrichment sessions, and spend six weeks each summer in a residential college setting at Concord University where they receive instruction by certified school teachers in math, English, reading, science, foreign language, computer technology and other academic classes.
Students receive assistance with financial aid, college admissions, scholarships, the ACT and SAT tests and career counseling. The program also allows students to participate in cultural trips, campus visits to in-state and out-of-state colleges and many other activities.
Upward Bound is one of eight outreach and student services Federal TRIO Programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO programs assist low-income, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to successfully progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs.
Concord currently sponsors four TRIO programs: two Upward Bound (high school), Student Support Services (current college students), and McNair Scholars (undergraduates pursuing Ph.D.’s), and serves as the southern regional campus for the WV Higher Education Policy Commission’s GEAR UP grant.
Federal TRIO Programs were established by the Higher Education Act of 1965, and amended by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008. Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, public or private agencies or organizations, including community-based organizations with experience in serving disadvantaged youth, secondary schools, and combinations of institutions, agencies, organizations, and secondary schools.
