Upward Bound, emerged
out of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 in response to
the governmental War on Poverty. Its purpose is to help
expand opportunities for the increasing number of low-income
individuals wanting to pursue a college degree. In 1965,
Educational Talent Search, the second outreach program, was
created as part of the Higher Education Act. Similar to
Upward Bound, Talent Search was structured to serve a larger
population of students. In 1968, Student Support Services,
which was originally known as Special Services for
Disadvantaged Students, was authorized by the Higher
Education Amendments. It became the third in a series of
educational opportunity programs as a means to provide
educational services to students at the post-secondary
level. By the late 1960's, the name TRiO, a set of three
programs was coined. It provided comprehensive educational
and support services targeted at helping students enter
college and obtain a baccalaureate degree.
TRiO continued to grow,
keeping its name, but over the years, the TRiO Programs have
expanded to six programs and have improved to provide a
wider range of services to more students who need the
assistance: Educational Opportunity Centers (1972), Training
Program for Federal TRiO Programs (1976), and Ronald E.
McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program (1986). EOC
helps TRiO expand its clientele to adults, while the McNair
program works with those students interested in graduate
school. The legislative requirements for all TRIO programs
can be found in the Higher Education Act of 1965, Title IV,
Part A, Subpart 2.
The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi TRiO Programs
provide information on academic and financial aid
opportunities. They are designed to identify students with
academic potential and prepare them to do college level work
(Upward Bound Program), and provide tutoring and support
services once they reach campus (Student Support Services).
All programs ensure college retention and graduation. These
services mirror the mission statement of our University;
which is "to identify, recruit and
retain students who have high potential for academic
success, especially those from groups who historically have
been under-represented in higher education."
Texas A&M University-Corpus
Christi has sponsored TRiO since 1999 and currently under
the leadership of Dr. Veronica Guerra, Director of Title
V/TRiO. The TAMUCC TRiO Programs are located in two
locations on the TAMUCC campus. The Upward Bound Program is
located at the Modular Building, Room 120, and the Student
Support Services can be found on the 3rd floor of
the University Center. Our programs operate under the Office
of the Provost and Vice-President of Academic Affairs. This
office fosters initiatives and are intended to revitalize
education for disadvantaged youth. Additionally,
relationships with parents, local school districts, and
various community agencies have allowed us to expand our
range of services to participants. We are striving to give
new meaning to TRIO in this new millennium by Turning
Restrictions Into Opportunities.
To see more information on these programs,
please visit their respective sites by clicking below:
