Virginia Tech

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VIRGINIA TECH TALENT SEARCH UPWARD BOUND
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Mission Statement

• Talent Search and Upward Bound at Virginia Tech
  are dedicated to encouraging and preparing
  low-income and potential first-generation
  students to pursue a college education.

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Core Functions

• Provide opportunities for participants from
  disadvantaged backgrounds (students from
  low-income families and families in which neither
  parent holds a bachelors degree) to succeed in
  pre-college performance and ultimately in higher
  education.
• Provide academic, career, and financial
  counseling to its participants and encourages
  them to graduate from high school and continue on
  to the postsecondary school of their choice.
• Provide instruction in math, laboratory science,
  composition, literature, and foreign language and
  other subjects necessary for success in education
  beyond high school. Instruction takes place
  during a six-week residential summer program on
  the Virginia Tech campus as well as on selected
  Saturdays during the academic year.
• Provide tutorial assistance (selected Saturdays
  at Virginia Tech and after school at selected
  schools includes SAT Prep. and Study Skills
  classes), college exploration activities,
  cultural opportunities, exposure to college
  campuses, assistance in completing college
  admissions and financial aid applications,
  assistance in preparing for college entrance
  exams, and workshops for families of participants.

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How are goals accomplished?

• Monthly school visits/workshops (TS 21 HS and 7
  MS, UB 19 HS
• Tutorials (after school/Saturday)
• UB Summer program (on campus)
• Campus visits/field trips
• SAT/ACT/College Application waivers
• Mentoring/Internships
• Student Leadership Conferences

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Accomplishments 2006 - 2007

• Students served TS 767, UB 108
• Post-secondary enrollment TS 77, UB 93 (82
  of enrollees since 2001 had been graduated or
  were still enrolled)
• SAT prep component to Summer and Saturday
  sessions
• TS College Camp
• Summer Work-Study Program (UB)

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Examples of Current Partnerships/Collaborations

• Human Development-Mark Benson (interviews)
• Ronald E. McNair Program (mentoring)
• Liberal Arts-Diana Ridgwell (1st generation
  study)
• Kaplan (SAT Prep)
• Various Departments (UB Summer Work-Study)
• Biology/Chemistry (summer lab space)

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Challenges (Part one)

• Increasing partnerships on campus and in
  communities
• Write second Talent Search Grant (Fall 2009) to
  serve Roanoke and Lynchburg schools not currently
  serving

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Challenges (Part two)

• For two of the past three years President Bush
  proposed eliminating funds for TRIO TS and UB.
  This year funds were proposed but at pre-2002
  levels - level funding.
• The college-access programs, Upward Bound and
  Talent Search, have a combined budget of
  460-million and serve a total of about 455,000
  students and veterans.

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Next Steps

• Convince Congress that the programs must continue
• Partner with departments/colleges at Virginia
  Tech and community programs can be an already
  established cohort
• Partner with new schools in preparing second
  Talent Search grant proposal

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TALENT SEARCH AND UPWARD BOUND

• Hillcrest Hall
• Virginia Tech
• Blacksburg, VA 24061
• 540-231-6911
• www.ubts.vt.edu