The United States Department of Education has awarded New Mexico State University $4.5 million in federal grants for the Upward Bound Programs. NMSU received a five-year grant renewal for $396,004 per year to work with Las Cruces and Gadsden high schools, a program that has existed since 1989. For the first time, NMSU has also received two five-year grants for $257,500 each to create a partnership with Alamogordo and Hatch Valley high schools.
“NMSU’s commitment to the Upward Bound Program’s expansion from one to three programs has greatly enriched our ability to serve high school youth through delivery of college preparation services,” said Tony Marin, director of student affairs and principal investigator of the programs. “We are looking forward to our partnership with Alamogordo and Hatch Valley high schools, future program participants, the parents of participants and the local communities of Alamogordo and Hatch, who wholeheartedly support higher education pathways for their community’s youth. Additionally, we are grateful for our continued partnership with both the Las Cruces and Gadsden school districts.”
Upward Bound is a federally funded TRIO program, which is comprised of seven programs nationwide that help low-income and first-generation students attend and graduate from college. The Las Cruces and Gadsden program serves 90 students, while 60 students will be supported at both Hatch Valley and Alamogordo each year.
“Nationally, 86 percent of Upward Bound students enroll in college the fall semester following graduation from high school. NMSU’s current program’s reporting is in line with that statistic,” Marin said. “Further, 99 percent of students enrolled in the Upward Bound Program at NMSU graduate from high school in four years. The program’s design of providing supplemental academic support such as tutoring, mentorship, college admissions and other classroom instructional services assist students to excel in high school while simultaneously preparing for college entrance and success.”
NMSU’s Upward Bound Program serves students in ninth grade through 12th grade. To enter the program, students have to apply and interview. About 95 percent of the students in the Upward Bound Program attend NMSU after high school with a college graduation rate of 63 percent.
For more information on the NMSU Upward Bound Program visit https://trioub.nmsu.edu.
Information from NMSU