HARRISBURG (WSIL) -- Southeastern Illinois College (SIC) will receive a $1.4 million federal grant to help prepare low-income students who are the first members of their family to attend college. The U.S. Department of Education made the announcement on Friday, marking the first time that SIC will receive an Upward Bound grant.
One of the federal TRIO Programs, Upward Bound is an intensive intervention program that prepares students for higher education through various enrichment courses. At least two-thirds of the students in each local Upward Bound program are from low-income economic backgrounds and families in which neither parent has a bachelor's degree.
The five-year grant will allow SIC to provide on-site college preparation for students who may otherwise not attend college in the participating schools which volunteered and provided data for the grant application. Carmi-White County, Galatia, Gallatin County, Hardin County, and Norris City-Omaha-Enfield will benefit from the program. SIC will hire three full-time employees who will fall under the management of SIC Student Services.
“With almost 50 percent of our in-district high school graduates not matriculating to an institution of higher education in 2020, the Upward Bound project will afford SIC the much-needed opportunity to provide essential resources to high school students so they can succeed academically and subsequently to earn a post-secondary credential,� said Kyla Burford, Interim Dean of Student Services.
Campus-based Upward Bound programs provide students instruction in literature, composition, mathematics, science, and foreign language during the school year and the summer. Upward Bound also provides intensive mentoring and support for students as they prepare for college entrance exams and tackle admission applications, financial aid, and scholarship forms.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, 86% of Upward Bound participants enroll in postsecondary institutions immediately following high school graduation. In fiscal year 2021, more than 70,000 students enrolled in 966 Upward Bound TRIO projects in the United States.
