Rep. Courtney Announces $293,255 Grant for UConn ‘Upward Bound' Program

Press Release

Rep. Courtney Announces $293,255 Grant for UConn ‘Upward Bound' Program

Congressman Joe Courtney announced today that the University of Connecticut has received a $293,255 grant for its successful Upward Bound program. The grant program is administered by the United States Department of Education.

"I am proud to announce this grant award for UConn's Upward Bound program because of the commitment the UConn community has made to improving the lives of low-income students and families," stated Congressman Courtney. "I am particularly grateful to Maria Martinez for providing such exceptional testimony before my committee to advocate on behalf of this very program."

Maria Martinez is the Director of the Center for Academic Programs at the University of Connecticut. Ms. Martinez testified before the House Education and Labor in March. The hearing, "The Higher Education Act: Approaches to College Preparation" was one of a series of hearings continuing before Mr. Courtney's committee on the issue of the Higher Education Act Reauthorization.

Upward Bound serves students who have completed eighth grade and serves high school students in New Haven, Waterbury, Hartford and Windham. The program targets these students of low-income families to encourage their continued attendance in school and to pursue a higher education degree.

Upward Bound offers selected students a six-week resident program on campus with an overwhelming success rate. According to Martinez's testimony, ninety-four percent of the Upward Bound students ultimately enroll in college with an eighty-five percent graduation rate.

The funding for this grant program was appropriated by the new 110th Congress through the Continuing Resolution (CR) passed earlier this year. The previous Congress failed to complete the Department of Education budget; therefore, the current Congress completed it in January with a CR.

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