New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) has been given three Upward Bound grants by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) – a total of $1,168,939 – to help high school students, particularly those who are first-generation or are from low-income families, reach higher ed.
Upward Bound — one of seven federal TRIO programs — funds higher ed pathways for students from low-income families and first-gen students.
The $1.1 million will support the TRIO Upward Bound Program at NJIT’s Center for Pre-College Programs (CPCP), funding intensive college prep training for nearly 250 more Newark high school students over five years, starting September 2022.
“I am a strong supporter of the New Jersey Institute of Technology’s TRIO Upward Bound Program and I am proud that the U.S. Department of Education continues to support it,” said U.S. Rep. Donald M. Payne Jr. “I have helped secure millions of dollars in federal funding for TRIO programs throughout my time in Congress. For 30 years, the assistance and resources NJIT has provided through this TRIO program has helped local students get into college and graduate with degrees in their chosen field. In particular, I know the university’s Upward Bound English Language Learners program will use bilingual staff and instructors to guide and mentor many first-generation students from Newark. It is an exceptional program, and I will continue to work to secure more federal funding for it in the future.”
More than 3,000 TRIO projects serve approximately 855,000 participants yearly, as of 2021. TRIO projects are in every U.S. state and territory.
“TRIO programs are great investments in our students that yield benefits well beyond the academic domain,” said Dr. Jacqueline Cusack, CPCP executive director. “Through engagement in special events such as college tours, guest speaker presentations, coaching and job shadowing activities, our students’ self-efficacy and sense of purpose are strengthened, which combine to make them better prepared to contribute to our global society.”
