D’Youville Receives $250,000 Renewal

D’Youville Receives $250,000 Renewal

Five-Year Award Totals $1,250,000

Buffalo, New York – May 17, 2012 – D'Youville College has received $250,000 from the U.S. Department of Education for a first year renewal of the Upward Bound Program at the college. It will be for a five-year period, totaling $1,250,000 and will serve students at the International Preparatory School in Buffalo.

It is part of $6,725,270 awarded to colleges and universities across New York.

The program is designed to provide the skills and motivation to first generation and disadvantaged individuals through tutoring, mentoring and financial planning to complete high school and go on to college.

Senator Charles E. Schumer said New York has the best combination of public and private universities and is pleased the Department of Education chose so many of them to support the program.

"You can't excel in the modern workforce without a quality education," he said. "Our students have big dreams and programs like Upward Bound make post-secondary education a possibility for more and more of them to come true."

The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo provided 'bridge funding' to maintain program services during the period the previous federal grant ended and when the new Upward Bound award would start.

"I'm ecstatic about the renewal as it will allow us to continue and expand our work and also to provide services to the students at International Preparatory School in grades 9 to 12," said Antwan K. Barlow, director of the Upward Bound Program at D'Youville.

D'Youville first received federal funding under the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 to implement an Upward Bound program.

Since that time, 77 International Preparatory students have received services through the program. Ninety-four percent of the students are first generation, low-income, traditionally underrepresented youth, with 56 percent limited in the English language, the college said.

"Representing more than fifteen different nationalities, languages and dialects, the majority of these students in the program are the first in their family to receive formal secondary education."

Upward Bound is part of the Federal TRIO Programs of outreach and student services programs.

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Contact: Antwan K. Barlow at 829-8142