State Fair Community College has received $257,500 from the United States Department of Education for an Upward Bound program that will serve 60 eligible high school students in Camdenton and Eldon. The funds are for one year starting Sept. 1 through Aug. 31, 2018. The grant cycle is anticipated to be for five years.
The program provides free services and support that motivates and equips students to complete high school and succeed in a postsecondary program. The services, based on studies and effective best practices, also will enable students to earn postsecondary credits while in high school.
“Upward Bound is an excellent program that provides tutoring, student success courses, pro-active academic counseling, financial literacy counseling, cultural experiences, and more that help students succeed,” said Dr. Brent Bates, vice president for Educational and Student Support Services at SFCC. “We are excited to partner with the high schools in Eldon and Camdenton and to help their students achieve their goals, not just in education but throughout their lives.”
Dr. Ryan Neal, assistant superintendent at Camdenton R-III School District, and Matt Davis, superintendent at Eldon School District, worked with SFCC in applying for the grant.
“State Fair Community College has done a tremendous job in supporting our high school students with dual credit opportunities,” said Neal. “Upward Bound will provide us with specific support for our potential first-generation college students, and that will increase our ability to make all of our students college and career ready. Camdenton School District is excited about this new opportunity.”
“SFCC provides support for our students in many ways,” said Davis. “Currently, it provides our students with the opportunity to graduate high school with an Associate of Arts degree. Our students also can enroll in the Nursing or Industrial Technology programs offered at the SFCC-Eldon campus. The Upward Bound support services will offer even more opportunities for our students to be successful in life.”
SFCC also has an Upward Bound program at Smith-Cotton High School in Sedalia that has existed 14 years. The grant to serve Eldon and Camdenton high schools was the only new request funded in Missouri.
Upward Bound is one of eight federal TRiO programs that “serve and assist first-generation college students, low-income individuals, and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post baccalaureate programs.”
For more information, contact Jeromy Layman, SFCC’s Upward Bound director, at jlayman@sfccmo.edu or (660) 851-5378.
Camdenton
State Fair Community College and Camdenton High School officials jointly announced on July 12 the approval of a federally funded Upward Bound program at the school that begins Sept. 1. From left, SFCC Vice President for Educational and Student Support Services Dr. Brent Bates, SFCC Upward Bound Director Jeromy Layman, SFCC President Dr. Joanna Anderson, Camdenton Superintendent Dr. Tim Hadfield, Principal Brett Thompson, and College and Career Readiness Coordinator Jody Welsh.
Eldon
State Fair Community College, Eldon High School and Eldon Career Center officials jointly announced on July 12 the approval of a federally funded Upward Bound program at the school that begins Sept. 1. From left, SFCC Vice President for Educational and Student Support Services Dr. Brent Bates, Eldon School District Board President Mike Kriegshauser, SFCC Upward Bound Director Jeromy Layman, SFCC President Dr. Joanna Anderson, Eldon Superintendent Matt Davis, Counselor Tanya Rhine, Career Center Staff Gabe Branstetter, Principal Kris Harwood, Career Center Staff Erin Rohwer, and Career Center Director Kelli Engelbrecht.
