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TAMUK receives over $5.8M in U.S. Department of Education Grants for Upward Bound, McNair programs

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Texas A&M University-Kingsville college bell tower

The university received a combined total of $5,863,600 for all of the four awarded grants.

Texas A&M University-Kingsville’s Office of Student Access has received a new $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to establish a Veterans Upward Bound program at the university. This grant is part of over $5.8 million in grants awarded to Texas A&M-Kingsville by the Department of Education that will further bolster the programming the Office of Student Access provides at the university.

The Veterans Upward Bound program was developed to help assist veterans in developing the academic skills they might need to be accepted to and succeed in obtaining a postsecondary education. The program provides assessment and enhancement of basic skills through counseling, mentoring, tutoring and academic instruction in core subject areas.

“We are very excited to add another very important TRIO program to South Texas. Most importantly, we are honored to serve those who have served our country,” said Dr. María Emilia Martínez, Associate Vice President for Student Access. “The target communities are rural and sometimes isolated and can always benefit from additional educational resources.

The service area for the TAMUK Veterans Upward Bound program includes Kleberg, Duval. Jim Wells, Willacy, Brooks and Hidalgo counties and with the grant, the Office of Student Access is expected to assist 125 veterans.

“We look forward to serving veterans in the target communities to provide comprehensive academic preparation services. We will partner and collaborate closely with the TAMUK Military & Veterans Resource Center, along with several veteran organizations across South Texas.”

In addition to the Veterans Upward Bound grant, three additional grants from the U.S. Department of Education were awarded for Texas A&M-Kingsville’s Upward Bound Math and Science, Upward Bound Math and Science Rural, and Ronald E. McNair programs that total over $4.4 million.

The Upward Bound Math and Science (UBMS) programs are designed to strengthen the math and science skills of participating students, helping them to recognize and develop their potential and to encourage them to pursue postsecondary degrees in math and science, setting them on the course to seeking careers with math- and science-based skills.

“The Upward Bound Math and Science programs promote the STEM fields and provide opportunities for first-generation, income-qualified students to develop specific math and science academic skills that will help them in their chosen fields of study when they begin college,” Martinez said.

The Texas A&M-Kingsville UBMS program serves Alice High School, H.M. King High School and San Diego High School. The university’s UBMS Rural program serves Robstown High School, Premont High School and Ben Bolt High School.

"These grants are important to the university because they link directly to Texas A&M-Kingsville’s mission to serve the South Texas region. The UBMS program staff and student mentors/tutors are dedicated and driven to make that happen. They are out in the schools every week to make sure students receive the academic, social and emotional assistance they need to succeed.”

The McNair program prepares eligible participants for doctoral studies through involvement in research and other scholarly activities. Institutions then encourage students to enroll in graduate programs, tracking their progress through to the successful completion of advanced degrees. The goal is to increase the attainment of Ph.D. degrees by students from underrepresented segments of society.

“The McNair Scholars program offers intensive summer research opportunities for our amazing Javelina students. The McNair program is the hallmark undergraduate research program here at TAMUK as it has been in existence on campus since 1995,” Martinez said.

“Every summer, scholars receive research training provided by faculty mentors on campus who are often well known in their fields nationally and internationally. This comprehensive training can offer scholars a competitive edge as they begin to apply for graduate school and seek graduate assistantships.”

The university received a combined total of $5,863,600 for all of the four awarded grants. To find out more about the Office of Student Access, visit https://www.tamuk.edu/studentaccess/.

By the Numbers: Office of Student Access Grant Amounts

  • Upward Bound Math and Science (UBMS) $1,488,005
  • Upward Bound Math and Science Rural (UBMS Rural) $1,488,005
  • Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement (McNair) $1,449,905
  • Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) $1,437,685
  • Total: $5,863,600

Category: General Univ

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