Senator Charles E. Schumer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 8, 2012

SCHUMER ANNOUNCES 16 UPSTATE COLLEGES SET TO RECEIVE OVER $6.7 MILLION FROM DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION; UPWARD BOUND TO UNLOCK THE DOORS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

TRIO-Upward Bound Programs Will Prepare New York Youth for Post-Secondary Education

TRIO Funding Assists First Generation and Underserved Students

Schumer: This Investment Will Help More Students Follow Their Dreams to New York’s Great Colleges and Universities

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal TRIO Program, Upward Bound has awarded $6,725,270 to colleges and universities across New York. Specifically, funds will provide academic and motivational support to first-generation and at-risk students through tutoring, mentoring, and financial planning. Awardees will use funds at their discretion, under Upward Bound program guidelines.

“You can’t excel in the modern workforce without a quality education. Our students have big dreams, and programs like Upward Bound make post-secondary education a possibility for more and more of them to come true,” Schumer said. “New York has the best combination of public and private universities, and I applaud the Department of Education for choosing so many of them to support the vital programming that allows economically challenged, at-risk youth to receive the tools and attention they need to plan for the future.”

The Department of Education has awarded TRIO- Upward Bound Program funds to the following colleges and universities:

· $875,700 to SUNY Plattsburgh

· $262,500 to Adirondack Community College

· $250,000 to Mohawk Valley Community College

· $376,886 to LeMoyne College

· $703,493 to Binghamton University

· $262,357 to Cornell University

· $262,498 to University of Rochester

· $270,000 to Monroe Community College

· $287,881 to SUNY Brockport

· $500,000 to Genesee Community College

· $249,975 to D’Youville College

· $402,047 to Buffalo State College

· $357,518 to SUNY Fredonia

· $494,882 to University at Buffalo

· $250,000 to Mercy College

· $657,533 to Marist College

The purpose of the Upward Bound (UB) Program is to generate in program participants the skills and motivation necessary to complete a program of secondary education and to enter and succeed in a program of postsecondary education.

Authority for this program is contained in Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as 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 at risk youth, secondary schools, and combinations of institutions, agencies, organizations, and secondary schools.

UB Program participants must be potential first-generation college students, low income individuals, or individuals who has a high risk for academic failure, and has a need for academic support in order to pursue successfully a program of education beyond high school.

Required program services include: (1) academic tutoring; (2) advice and assistance in secondary and postsecondary course selection; (3) preparation for college entrance exams and completing the college admission applications; (4) information on federal student financial aid programs including (a) federal Pell grant awards, (b) loan forgiveness, and (c) scholarships; (5) assistance completing financial aid applications; (6) guidance on and assistance in: (a) secondary school reentry, (b) alternative education programs for secondary school dropouts that lead to the receipt of a regular secondary school diploma, (c) entry into general educational development (GED) programs or, (d) entry into postsecondary education; (7) education or counseling services designed to improve the financial and economic literacy of students or the students’ parents, including financial planning for postsecondary education, and (8) projects funded for at least two years under the program, must provide instruction in mathematics through pre-calculus; laboratory science; foreign language; composition; and literature.

The Federal TRIO Programs (TRIO) are Federal outreach and student services programs. TRIO includes eight programs targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post baccalaureate programs. TRIO also includes a training program for directors and staff of TRIO projects.

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