The United States Department of Education recently granted Northwest Missouri State University’s Upward Bound Math and Science (UBMS) program funding that will allow it to continue for another five years.

The funding for the program is approved through 2027. UBMS will receive $378,533 per year for the 2022-2023 academic year and roughly $1.9 million for the five-year period.

“On behalf of our Northwest UBMS team – Julie Robertson, Gene Westbrook and Lisa Ruehter – we are thrilled to earn the UBMS grant for another five years, building upon the 30 years of service to our region,” Dr. Jay Johnson, the interim director of Northwest TRIO and the University’s associate provost for academic operations and development. “As the oldest of the two UBMS programs in the state, Northwest continues to be a leader in focusing on student success and providing unique opportunities for area high school students to engage in math, science and technology learning activities beyond the traditional classroom.”

UBMS at Northwest features a six-week, hands-on summer learning experience and various weekend academies during the academic year for eligible high school students in grades nine through 11. The life-enhancing college prep program helps students explore math, science and technology topics while exposing them to a university campus and reducing anxieties about college. During the summer program, students live in a campus residence hall while receiving instruction from skilled college and high school faculty.

Launched in 1992 and fully funded through the U.S. Department of Education, UBMS at Northwest serves 71 students at 11 high schools throughout Missouri, Iowa and Kansas. Students acquire hands-on experience with math and science projects as UBMS guides them to become self-reliant while developing leadership and social skills.

Northwest’s UBMS program serves the following schools:

• Clarinda High School (Clarinda, Iowa)
• South Page High School (College Springs, Iowa)
• Turner High School (Kansas City, Kansas)
• Central High School (St. Joseph, Missouri)
• Lafayette High School (St. Joseph, Missouri)
• Benton High School (St. Joseph, Missouri)
• Northeast High School (Kansas City, Missouri)
• Lincoln College Prep (Kansas City, Missouri)
• North Andrew R-VI High School (Rosendale, Missouri)
• North Nodaway R-VI High School (Hopkins, Missouri)
• Worth County R-III High School (Grant City, Missouri)

UBMS is one of three federally recognized TRIO educational outreach programs – with Student Support Services and Upward Bound — that are offered by Northwest and designed for students with disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO programs provide valuable, supportive services to students from poor and working families to successfully enter college and earn degrees.

Since 1986, Northwest TRIO programs have promoted educational opportunities while assisting students in their personal journey of earning a higher education degree. The partnerships TRIO has within the Northwest campus community assist with addressing the unique needs of academically capable individuals who are first-generation students and come from families with limited income.

TRIO was founded in 1964 when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act, giving birth to Upward Bound as an experimental program.

For information about Northwest TRIO programs, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/trio/.