Upward Bound program receives $1.8 million federal grant

The U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education, TRIO Programs, has awarded $1,851,972 grant to the Upward Bound program at Virginia Tech. The funds will cover operations for the next four years, with a first-year allocation of $462,993, up slightly from the 2003 award. The first-year grant monies will be supplemented with in-kind support from Virginia Tech amounting to another $145,914.

Upward Bound is one of the federal TRIO Programs designed as educational opportunity outreach programs to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO includes six outreach and support programs targeted to serve and assist low-income, first-generation college and disabled students while they progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs.

Virginia Tech’s Upward Bound/Talent Search office, directed by Thomas G. Wilson, manages two federal TRIO programs for the region, both of which target potential college students from families with parents who did not earn four-year degrees and/or with low incomes. The programs have a very high success rate, with 93 percent of the students from Tech's 2006 Upward Bound program and over 80 percent of the Educational Talent Search students enrolling in college. A national survey shows Upward Bound students are four times more likely to graduate from college.

Contributions from the university include office space, utilities, maintenance, accounting and administrative services, class and laboratory space, and other services and facilities as needed. Upward Bound is part of Outreach Program Development, under the Outreach and International Affairs umbrella.

"The Upward Bound office does an excellent job serving youth populations in the region,” said Jeri Childers, director of Outreach Program Development, in announcing the grant. “Our program has been extremely successful and has many distinguished alumni.”

"We are thrilled to be able to continue to offer the services provided by Upward Bound to students in the region,” said Wilson. “For four decades the Upward Bound program at Virginia Tech has helped prepare low-income and first-generation college students for higher education. We look forward to a long commitment of ensuring equal access for students in our region."

Upward Bound, a federal program created in 1967, helps guide talented high school students toward a college education while improving their academic skills. It provides counseling in matching interests with abilities, choosing a career, tutoring to improve grades, training in library research techniques, selecting an appropriate college, and applying to colleges. Staff counselors visit each of the 100 Upward Bound students in 19 schools in 11 school districts once a month for individual sessions. These students must be from low income homes and/or homes in which parents did not graduate from four-year colleges.

Other Upward Bound activities include visits to the theatre, concerts, Virginia Tech athletic events, craft fairs, and trips to visit colleges. Each summer, students benefit from an introduction to the college experience during a six-week program on the Virginia Tech campus. While staying in one of the residence halls, students attend classes to help them prepare for their next year in high school, explore careers, visit other colleges, enjoy sports, go on field trips, and opt to join a choir or be part of a talent show. A spring weekend retreat on campus is also open to Upward Bound students. Workshops for parents are offered at least three times per year.

The Upward Bound program headquartered at Virginia Tech accepts students in Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Henry, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Tazewell, and Wythe counties; and the cities of Lynchburg, and Martinsville.

Educational Talent Search, founded in 1973 to complement Upward Bound, encourages students to complete high school in a college preparatory program, choose a career, and pursue a college education. The program also helps those who have dropped out of high school obtain a GED. The Talent Search program based at Virginia Tech is fully funded by the federal government to serve 750 students from 28 schools, including seven middle schools. It is open to those between the ages of 12 and 27 who meet the same requirements as Upward Bound students. In addition to the locations served by Upward Bound, Talent Search also serves Grayson County.

Applications for both federally funded free programs are available from school counseling offices or from the Upward Bound/Talent Search office in the lower level of Hillcrest Hall, (540) 231-6911. The Upward Bound Talent Search website has additional resources for middle and high school students.