7/3/2008 - Jackson, Miss.

GEAR UP Mississippi will continue to increase the number of low-income students in Mississippi who are prepared to enter and succeed in college thanks to a six-year $18 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education through the GEAR UP State Award Program.

GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) Mississippi recently received notification that the federally funded grant program will continue to operate in the state for another six years. The program began working with its first cohort of Mississippi students in 2002, when the students were seventh graders, and it continued to serve those students as they moved through junior high and high school and graduated this spring. This fall, GEAR UP Mississippi will begin working with another cohort of nearly 8,000 seventh grade students in 20 school districts across the state.

Students participating in GEAR UP programs have access to tutors, mentors, and advisors; participate in after school activities; attend summer enrichment programs at colleges and universities; visit college and university campuses; and enjoy increased parental involvement. GEAR UP also offers professional development for teachers and administrators.

GEAR UP Mississippi operates under the auspices of the Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, which governs the public universities in Mississippi, including Alcorn State University; Delta State University; Jackson State University; Mississippi State University including the Mississippi State University Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine; Mississippi University for Women; Mississippi Valley State University; the University of Mississippi including the University of Mississippi Medical Center; and the University of Southern Mississippi.

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