The U.S Department of Education has awarded Cornell $250,000 a year for four years for an Upward Bound program to begin in 2008.

Upward Bound links colleges and universities with nearby school districts whose students meet federal income guidelines. The program brings high school students to the campus over the summer for intensive learning with an emphasis on college preparation. The program continues throughout the school year with tutoring, counseling and educational enrichment.

Cornell will work with about 50 students per year from the Elmira City School District and the Groton Central School District. The program will be operated jointly through the Office of the Associate Provost for Outreach and the Cornell Public Service Center.

"Cornell has many outreach programs with goals that are compatible with Upward Bound. Having a program at Cornell will give us the chance to draw on that expertise and to build our capacity to address the needs of low-income high school students. We can use that capacity with other schools as well," noted Stephen F. Hamilton, associate provost for outreach and professor of human development.

"I'm excited to be working with Upward Bound again. As an undergraduate in the early '60s, I worked in one of the first Upward Bound programs, and the experience has shaped my career," he said.

Public Service Center Director Leonardo Vargas-Mendez said that the center, as well as other departments on campus, "have recognized for many years the importance of connecting with our neighboring communities. Upward Bound provides us with substantial resources to impact educational capacities in Groton and Elmira and help improve the achievement gap challenging these communities."

Eric Hartz, Groton High School principal, said: "This program will support our students, district and community as we move forward in the students' learning process. Cornell has been an instrumental piece to our district over the past year."

And Raymond Bryant, superintendent of Elmira City School District, noted: "This program will provide additional assistance to the students who need it most -- those from low-income families. Many of these students will be the first in their families to attend college, and they will be a source of pride for our schools, our community and their families."

According to the Upward Bound Web site, the goal of the program is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education. It provides instruction in core academic subjects along with supportive services to high school students from low-income families and families in which parents do not have a college degree.