Veterans Upward Bound Prepares Vets for Higher Education

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Veterans Upward Bound at the University of Arkansas began holding free college preparatory classes for eligible veterans in Fort Smith July 22, expanding a program that already offers free classes in Fayetteville and North Little Rock. The academic classes include math refresher courses, reading/writing skills, science and a foreign language, all designed to prepare veterans to get admitted to a higher education institution, and to do college-level classwork. The classes are small to ensure student veterans receive individual instruction.

The Fort Smith classes will be held from 5-7 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays in the Camp Hope for Heroes Building 1286, 7320 Mahogany Ave., near the main entrance to Fort Chaffee.

Classes are also underway in Fayetteville on Monday or Wednesday evenings from 5:10-8 p.m., or on Thursdays from 5:10-7 p.m, in room 139 of the U of A Uptown Campus, at 1001 E. Sain St. In North Little Rock classes are being held at Fort Root, from 3-6 p.m. in room 110, Building 89, 2200 Ft. Root Drive.

All classes are free of charge.

Veterans can sign up for classes by contacting Janelle Bollman at 479-575-2565 or Mark Stypinski at 479-575-4787, or by calling toll-free at 1-888-262-1681.

 Veterans Upward Bound is a federally funded program that prepares veterans for any level of higher education — university, community college, or technical/vocational school.

“The purpose of Veterans Upward Bound is to serve those who have served us,” said Janelle Bollman, director of the program at the University of Arkansas. “Most veterans have many more responsibilities than the traditional student: jobs, off-campus living, marriage and family. Many veterans may not have had, for example, the math in high school they needed to prepare them for college, or they may need refresher courses after years away from the classroom. Whatever the challenge, our job is to prepare veterans to become successful college students.”

The Veterans Upward Bound staff members and teachers can assess a veteran’s academic needs, set up a specific preparation plan, and help follow it through. They can assist through the application process and help veterans with the paperwork for the educational benefits they are eligible to receive through federal and state programs.  

All Veterans Upward Bound services are free to veterans who are either first generation college students, or meet federal low-income guidelines. It doesn’t matter how long ago a veteran left the service, as long as he or she has had 180 days of active duty service, or been discharged due to a service-related disability.