Kent State Gets Refunding for Upward Bound Programs

Kent State University’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has received additional funding for two of its federally funded TRIO Upward Bound programs.

The Upward Bound Classic Academy, which has been successfully funded since 1971, was refunded in the amount of $495,139 per year for the next five years. The grant includes a partnership with Kent State’s College of Business Administration and will serve 118 students from Akron Buchtel, Barberton and Warren G. Harding high schools and communities.

The Upward Bound Public Health grant, formerly called the Upward Bound PREP Academy, funded since 1999, was refunded in the amount of $262,500. The grant, which includes a partnership with Kent State’s College of Public Health, will serve 63 students from Lorain, Ravenna and Windham high schools and communities.

Both grants also include significant partnerships with Kent State’s College of Education, Health and Human Services, as well as an innovative strategy that involves the university’s Math Emporium to address math college readiness gaps in high school students prior to starting college.

“The Upward Bound programs directly support our mission and create meaningful pathways to college for students, and we at Kent State are thrilled to host these programs,” said Alfreda Brown, Ph.D., vice president for Kent State’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

The Upward Bound programs are federally funded TRIO programs designed to provide college and academic readiness for first-generation, low-income students and families. The programs focus on cultivating the academic potential in students to successfully enter, persist and graduate with a postsecondary degree.

“Our Upward Bound programs have been transforming destinies for many years, and with adequate funding, will continue to do so for many more years to come,” said Dana Lawless-Andric, director of the pre-college and TRIO Upward Bound programs at Kent State.

The Upward Bound programs have a long track record of success – 76 percent of Kent State’s Upward Bound college enrollees have graduated or are persisting with a degree, compared with the national average of 60 percent.

For more information about Kent State’s Upward Bound programs, visit www.kent.edu/diversity/pipeline/precollege.

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Photo Caption:
Participants in the Upward Bound programs at Kent State University pose for a group photo in front of the MAC Center.

Media Contact:
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595