FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
STEPHENVILLE, Texas—Thanks to a $1.18 million Educational Talent Search Grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Tarleton State University will help 500 students from 10 area schools prepare for a college education.
Talent Search, one of eight programs collectively known as the federal TRIO programs, supports students facing difficult challenges and gets them back on track to finish high school and enroll at a university.
Activities and services are specially designed for low-income and first-generation university students as well as those with disabilities and limited English language proficiency.
“This is a win-win for Tarleton and the many students who will greatly benefit from the college preparatory services provided by Talent Search,” said Jenny Watts, director of the university’s Upward Bound program. “Similar to Upward Bound, Talent Search provides opportunities for participants to succeed in pre-college performance and ultimately in their pursuit of a higher education.
“An active Tarleton program for more than 30 years, Upward Bound—also a TRIO program—serves 95 students,” Watts said. “The Talent Search grant increases that number five times, giving more students the opportunity to earn advanced degrees and attain the kinds of professional careers that improve overall quality of life.”
Tarleton’s Talent Search program will include students at Henderson Junior High in Stephenville as well as those at Brownwood, Cisco, Dublin, Eastland, Gorman, Hamilton, Hico, Ranger and Stephenville high schools.
Talent Search funding will be divided equally over five years, beginning Sept. 1, 2016, and ending Aug. 31, 2021.
For more information on federal TRIO programs, go to http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/index.html.
Tarleton, a member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven educational experience marked by academic innovation and exemplary service, and dedicated to transforming students into tomorrow’s professional leaders. With campuses in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian and online, Tarleton engages with its communities to provide real-world learning experiences and to address societal needs while maintaining its core values of integrity, leadership, tradition, civility, excellence and service.
#
Contact: Jenny Watts, Upward Bound Director
254-968-9369
[email protected]
