Upward Bound at Pacific University
For more than 40 years, Pacific University has been able to help more than 2,000 high school students prepare for college through the Upward Bound program. Established by the federal government in 1965, Upward Bound has assisted hundreds of thousands of high school students nationwide gain admission to college. But with the recent restructuring of the federal Department of Education, programs have struggled, especially the last four years, with a dramatic decrease in funding.
Additionally, as part of a new system for evaluating the program, the U.S. Department of Education is requiring Upward Bound programs to recruit twice as many students as they can serve, using half the students as a control group – without benefit of Upward Bound services – to compare their performance with those students actually admitted into the program. Pacific University’s administration – as well as those at other colleges across the nation – is opposed to this manner of dealing with students and their families.
Therefore, Pacific University has made the difficult decision to discontinue operation of the Upward Bound program, effective August 31, 2007. Students currently in the program will receive benefits through that date. Pacific Upward Bound staff will make every effort to suggest educational alternatives for students when our Upward Bound program ends.