About Upward Bound
Upward Bound (UB) provides fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance by providing opportunities for success in precollege performance and ultimately in higher education pursuits. We help high school students from low-income families; and high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education.
In 2017, the University of North Georgia was awarded two UB grants to serve sixty (60) students at Gilmer High School (Gilmer County) and sixty (60) students at Johnson High School (Hall County) for the award period from September 1, 2017 to August 31, 2022.
Vision
Upward Bound’s vision is to empower independent thinking scholars who are prepared to leverage their academic capabilities and social networks to transform their educational outcomes and uplift their communities. We value education, growth, and integrity as crucial components in meeting the challenges and high expectations of the 21st century.
Mission
The Upward Bound programs at the University of North Georgia endeavors to create a learning and social environment for underrepresented students that leads to the attainment of a postsecondary degree, followed by gainful employment, and full participation in global citizenship.
How Upward Bound Got Started
Deeply rooted in the work of civil rights pioneers, the Vision Program, launched by C.T. Vivian, endeavored to make the pursuit of a postsecondary degree possible for any student who wanted to obtain a degree. This program would eventually become the federally funded TRIO Upward Bound Program. Currently, there are 956 federally funded Upward Bound (UB) Programs across the country.
What is a TRIO program?
The educational opportunity TRIO programs received their start in the 1960’s as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty”, and have a history of bipartisan Congressional support. Barriers to education for this target population of students, while often very similar, vary slightly from state to state. To address access to and equity within education, the TRIO programs were established with the distinct purpose of expanding college opportunities for low-income, first-generation students, and students with disabilities across the United States and its territories. Originally there were three TRIO programs: Upward Bound, Talent Search, and Student Support Services.
Today, eight United States Department of Education (ED) grant programs are organized under the TRIO banner: Upward Bound, Educational Opportunity Centers, Student Support Services, Talent Search, Upward Bound Math/Science, Veterans Upward Bound, Training Program for Federal TRIO Programs Staff, and the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program.
Along with out Upward Bound Programs, UNG also hosts the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program. Find more information about the McNair Scholars Program.