Cincinnati State wins Veterans Upward Bound expansion grant
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College has won a 5-year, $1.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to expand a program designed to help local veterans succeed in college.
The Cincinnati State Veterans Upward Bound program will serve at least 125 area veterans each year who are pursuing their first college degree. Services include academic tutoring, advice on college and career options, and guidance on obtaining financial aid for college.
The program also helps veterans locate other services to help them obtain veterans benefits, as well as manage health or personal issues that might prevent them from completing a 2-year or 4-year college degree.
Veterans Upward Bound is free to eligible U.S. Veterans. To be eligible, veterans must meet certain income guidelines and/or come from a family where their natural or adoptive parents did not receive a bachelor’s degree.
“There is a huge need for programs such as Veterans Upward Bound,” said Darrell Smith, Manager of Veteran Student Affairs at Cincinnati State who served for 22 years in the U.S. Army.
Across the country, he noted, veterans are being inundated with advertising by for-profit and non-profit colleges that promote themselves as “veteran friendly” and encourage veterans to enroll right away. But for some veterans this is a recipe for failure, Smith said, because their academic skills have become rusty due to the time gap between graduating from high school and the completion of military service. For those individuals, he said, Veterans Upward Bound makes sense.
Cincinnati State Veterans Upward Bound, which has been operating since 2007, seeks a much more positive outcome for its participants, because veterans complete the program prior to enrolling in college and are much better prepared.
It is one of 47 such programs across the country, and the most comprehensive of its kind in Greater Cincinnati. Among the services offered:
- Assessments to determine current academic ability
- Development of personalized educational plan
- Career selection and advising
- College/training program selection
- Academic needs assessment
- Tutoring for foundational classes
- Financial aid advising and assistance
- Computer training referral resources
- Referrals to other essential veteran services
“We love working with veterans because they bring a different perspective and a maturity level,” said Bari Ewing, program director for Cincinnati State Veterans Upward Bound.
“Veterans have developed many skills during their service that will help them succeed in college and career,” she added. “We can assist them in getting refreshed academically and in finding a college that is the right fit for them.”
The Veterans Upward Bound program, while administered from an office housed at Cincinnati State, serves the entire Greater Cincinnati area. The college itself maintains a separate Veterans Student Affairs office that provides services to its students who have served in the military.
For more information about Cincinnati State Veterans Upward Bound, please call (513) 569-4992.
Opening Day at Middletown
The reception desk on the main floor of the Middletown campus was a busy place Wednesday morning, the first days at classes there, as students asked about their classes, purchased textbooks and took care of other business. The opening garnered considerable media attention.
You can find more pictures on our Facebook page.
A smiling face on the cover
Kelly Johnson, a second-year business management major, was among those who stopped by the “Make Your Own Magazine Cover” booth sponsored by Student Activities Thursday as part of the Semester Transition celebration. OK, maybe it’s not the Rolling Stone, but there’s still a thrill that will get you… Go ahead, try to make it through the rest of the day without the tune rattling around in your head. And if you’re too young to understand the reference, count your blessings. Or use your favorite search engine and ask it to look for Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show.
