FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 9, 2003
CONTACT: Carol Anderson
canderson@emich.edu
734.487.4400

EMU Awarded $380,000 for Upward Bound Program

YPSILANTI – Eastern Michigan University will receive $386,711 from the U.S. Department of Education’s Upward Bound program to help high school students and veterans make a successful transition into post-secondary education.

EMU was one of 19 public and private colleges and universities in Michigan which were awarded a total of $7,364,738 to help approximately 1,500 students statewide.

Upward Bound serves high school graduates from low-income families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree, as well as first-generation military veterans from low-income families.

The program provides students with college and career planning; weekly study sessions with tutors; social and cultural experiences; and college preparation services such as academic advising and free SAT and ACT tests.

“Upward Bound services and activities provide help to students to level the playing field with regard to the social, cultural, educational, and economic barriers they face in pursuit of higher education,” said Amy Prevo-Johnson, EMU director of Upward Bound.

Upward Bound was the first of the federal programs authorized by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 in response to former President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. Founded in 1967, EMU’s Upward Bound program began during the original wave of funding and, during the past 36 years has provided academic and personal assistance to more than 2,500 students.

Eastern Michigan University is a public comprehensive, metropolitan university that offers programs in the arts, sciences and professions. EMU prepares students with the intellectual skills and practical experiences to succeed in their careers and lives, and to be better citizens.

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