FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — University of Arkansas Pre-College Programs recently received notification of three federal Talent Search grants from the U.S. Department of Education. The four-year grants will provide funding in the amount of $3.4 million over the next four years for the continuation of two existing programs, Talent Search and College Project Talent Search, and the addition of University Access Talent Search.

The University Access program will expand the reach of Pre-College Programs services. The program will now reach beyond Benton, Crawford, Madison, Sebastian and Washington counties in Arkansas, and Delaware County in Oklahoma, to new geographical areas. Certain schools will now be targeted in Benton and Carroll counties in Arkansas, and McDonald County in Missouri.

Together the three projects will provide comprehensive services for 2,200 students possessing the academic potential and motivation for attending college. Participants are in grades 6-12 and attend one of 48 target schools. The Talent Search programs are early intervention projects that promote the participants’ successful completion of a bachelor’s degree. Personal and career development, technological and academic skills, ACT readiness, and college preparatory workshops are emphasized as students prepare to meet their college entry goals.  Summer enrichment and campus-based events provide ongoing opportunities for institutional and faculty involvement.

Pre-College Programs comprises 10 programs with an annual budget of $2.4 million. The department includes seven federally funded TRIO programs, Upward Bound, Upward Bound Academy for Mathematics and Sciences, Reaching Educational Aspirations of Latinos Upward Bound (REAL), Veterans Upward Bound, Talent Search, College Project Talent Search, and the newly funded University Access Talent Search.

In collaboration with the Honors College, Gifted and Talented Scholars and Summer Institute (operated by Pre-College Programs) received scholarship support of $150,000 from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation, $25,000 from the UA Women’s Giving Circle, and $25,000 from the College of Engineering.

In addition, Pre-College Programs has established summer program partnerships hosting the Summer Engineering and Science Research Experience, with the University of Arkansas’ College of Engineering, and the College Residential Institute for Kauffman Scholars, with Kauffman Scholars Inc. of Kansas City, Mo.

Supporting the mission and vision of the Division of Student Affairs and UA Chancellor John A. White, Pre-College Programs seeks to “identify, challenge, and enrich prospective college students for the purpose of engaging them in services that will result in academic and personal preparedness for rigors of the university environment as ultimately we prepare them to graduate and become visionary leaders who have the knowledge and skills to effectively address the challenges of the new millennium.”