California Lutheran University was awarded more than $3.6 million in grants by the U.S. Department of Education to further strengthen services provided by Upward Bound, a federally funded program established in 1965.
The five-year grants, which account for the largest amount the university has ever received for its Upward Bound program, will expand services for high school students in Oxnard, Hawthorne and Lawndale.
The school was awarded a $2,138,500 grant that will allow CLU to serve 89 students a year from public high schools in Oxnard. The remaining $1,488,000 award will be allocated toward 60 students per year from Hawthorne and Leuzinger high schools in Los Angeles County. About $2,450 of grant money is allocated to each student.
The program provides students with tutoring, academic advising, weekend classes, college tours and parent workshops. Additionally, 160 students will reside on campus and participate in academic courses and personal growth workshops during a six-week summer residential program.
“The whole intent of our program is really college completion, as it’s meant to help students who would be the first in their family to ever get a bachelor’s degree,” Sergio Galvez, the senior director of TRIO Pre-University Programs at CLU, said.
This amount of funding in this year’s grants marks a 19% increase from 2012’s grant figures.