For the City-Times

A program that encourages college opportunities for students from low income and rural families will celebrate five decades of service at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point this evening.

UW-Stevens Point Upward Bound will mark the 50^th anniversary of the Higher Education Act of 1964, which funded Upward Bound, from 6-9 p.m. tonight in the Health Enhancement Center indoor track. The event will include 150 high school students from central and northern Wisconsin, taking part in games and signing of birthday/thank you cards for congressional representatives. Participants in the Forward Service Corp Upward Bound and Wausau DPI Upward Bound programs will also join in the celebration.

For nearly 50 years, Upward Bound at UW-Stevens Point has encouraged students to attend college through summer programs on campus. Students are immersed in a college environment by staying in residence halls, attending classes and study sessions Monday-Friday and taking part in weekend recreational and cultural trips. Sixty students are enrolled this summer, and more than 90 are served annually, with positive results:

• Approximately 95 percent of Upward Bound graduates enroll in post-secondary education the fall after they graduate from high school.
• Approximately 65 percent of students served by UW-Stevens Point Upward Bound earn a bachelor’s degree within six years of high school graduation.
• In the fall of 2013, 45 percent of UW-Stevens Point Upward Bound students had a grade point average of 3.50 or above.

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