October 15, 2002
$12.5 million federal grant to help 14,000 students in Harrisburg, Philadelphia ‘Gear Up’ for college
Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education a $12.5 million grant to help as many as 14,000 students in the Harrisburg and Philadelphia school districts prepare for college, and to help the students and their families pay their tuition once they get there.
The five-year grant was awarded under the department’s GEAR UP Program – Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs.
Students who participate in the program – beginning in the seventh grade – will be provided a variety of services, including an individual assessment of their academic, financial, motivational and personal needs; career exploration; and the development of their own Educational Action Plan. Parents of the students also will be encouraged to participate in programs that will help them help their children get ready for college.
Half of the federal funding will be used to provide scholarships to students who complete the program. The 14 Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education universities also have committed an additional $2.7 million in special scholarship funds toward the effort.
Five State System universities will work with administrators, teachers and staff in the two urban districts to improve their curricula, upgrade their teaching methods and “to transform the school culture to one of high expectations” for all students. The universities that will be directly involved in the program are Cheyney, East Stroudsburg, Kutztown, Shippensburg and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania.
With 101,531 students, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth. Its 14 universities offer more than 250 degree and certificate programs in more than 120 areas of study. More than 360,000 System alumni live and work in Pennsylvania.
The state-owned universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The System also operates branch campuses in Clearfield, Kittanning, Oil City and Punxsutawney and several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and the University Center for Southwest Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh. The regional centers are part of the Educational Resources Group, which is responsible for coordinating statewide programming.