Upward Bound to Mark 40th Year at UMaine
Contact: Kay Hyatt at (207) 581-2761
ORONO, Maine — Upward Bound will mark its 40th year at the University of Maine this month as 175 high school sophomores, juniors and seniors arrive Saturday, June 24 for the annual six-week academic and career exploration experience on campus.
A federally funded educational opportunity program, Upward Bound provides opportunities for high school students from low-income, first-generation college families to change the course of their lives by overcoming economic, social, academic and class barriers to higher education. Participation is year-round with service to students in their schools, as well as the six-week summer residential program at UMaine. Usually, over 90 percent of students who complete the program enter postsecondary education.
The majority of the students coming to UMaine this summer (129) are in the Classic Upward Bound general academic support and enrichment program. They attend schools served throughout the academic year by UMaine Upward Bound counselors in Penobscot, Piscataquis, Waldo and Hancock counties. The other students (approximately 49) are in the Upward Bound Regional Math-Science Center program, which serves motivated math, science and technology students from targeted high schools around New England. This is the first year that students from Rhode Island will participate in the UMaine summer experience.
During the summer, the students take classes in math, science, English, foreign language, career exploration, SAT preparation and a variety of electives. In addition, students have a research agenda, working on projects with UMaine faculty, as well as jobs in the community. They also complete hundreds of hours of community service each summer, including an annual blood drive.
This year, all students and staff will read the award-winning book, “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd, and weave its messages into experiences and activities throughout the summer, according to Upward Bound Director Linda Ives. Set in the southern United States in the early 1960s, “The Secret Life of Bees” is the story of a young girl’s coming of age amid racial violence and unrest and haunting memories of her mother who died in a tragic accident.
Classic Upward Bound is one of the TRIO programs, established by Congress in 1965 to help encourage and support the higher education aspirations and efforts of individuals from low-income, first-generation college families. The series of programs also include Talent Search, designed to help students in grades 6-12 aspire to, prepare for and enter college, and the Maine Educational Opportunity Center, which assists adults in preparing for and accessing higher education. UMaine received its first Upward Bound grant in 1966, according to Ives. The College of Education and Human Development administers these federal programs at UMaine.
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Media Note
: A large tent will be set up in the quad area between Stodder and Chadbourne halls from noon to 4 p.m. on Upward Bound Summer Program registration day, June 24. Media contacts at registration will be: Linda Ives, director; Kelly Ilseman, Math-Science program coordinator; and Rusty Brown, Math-Science academic coordinator.