The East Central University Veterans Upward Bound Program has been approved for a new five-year grant cycle of $275,153, it was recently announced.
The ECU VUB program is designed to provide academic and supportive services to eligible veterans in an effort to generate the skills and motivation necessary to enter and succeed in a program of post-secondary education, whether it be through a vocational or technical school or through a two or four-year college or university.
“VUB is very excited to be starting a new program year. We are looking forward to helping military veterans, guard members, and reservists, who are considering going to school. Our job is to be their point of contact, get them connected with the resources they need, and to help them get set up for success,” said Mary Meeks, director of the Veterans Upward Bound program. “We look at the individual needs of each person and create an individualized education plan. Our program has lots to offer service members who are thinking about going to school.”
This program serves 125 veterans from its office located in the Education Building, Suite 9B, on the ECU campus.
The expanded area for the project is the rural southeast quadrant of the state of Oklahoma, specifically the counties included in the ECU and Southern Workforce Investment Board service areas. The service area allows easy and convenient access for the participants and excellent coordination with other programs which serve veterans.
ECU VUB provides classroom instruction, basic skill development, remedial and short-term courses in core curriculum subjects such as English, math, reading, science, and foreign language, as well as in other subjects necessary for post-secondary entrance such as financial literacy, study skills, time management and basic computer skills.
Supportive services are also available and include career exploration, admissions and enrollment assistance, financial aid assistance, and referral services. These academic and supportive services are designed to meet the individual needs of the veteran participants in preparation for entrance into and successful completion of a program for postsecondary education.
The ECU VUB is planning an open house on Wednesday, Oct. 10. Partner agencies will be having tables of information at the event from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
“We welcome anyone who might be interested in learning more about Veterans Upward Bound or other programs that provide services to veterans and those in the military, to drop by and see where we are located and pick up some information,” Meeks said.
The ECU VUB office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information or questions call 580-559-5459 or contact Meeks at mhuckleb@ecok.edu.