(Washington, DC): -- Congressman Michael R. McNulty (D-Green Island) announced today that Fulton-Montgomery Community College (FMCC), in partnership with Amsterdam High School, will receive $250,000 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Education under the Upward Bound Program.

McNulty said, “This funding will provide fundamental support to students at Amsterdam High School in their preparation for college entrance. The Upward Bound Program provides opportunities for participants to succeed in their precollege performance which increases the likelihood of success in pursuing higher education."

The FMCC Upward Bound Program will serve 50 students selected from 9th and 10th graders entering Amsterdam High School during the Fall of 2007. Program components will include weekly meetings between students and their Upward Bound counselor, after school tutoring, intensive monitoring of student progress, enrichment instruction in areas such as time management and study skills, cultural and recreational activities and an intensive academic program on the FMCC campus for six weeks during the summer.

"We are very excited to receive the Upward Bound Grant Award and are looking forward to assisting our colleagues at the Amsterdam School District in improving their graduation rate and preparing students to achieve a Bachelors degree. Programs like Upward Bound not only help the students but also the community by preparing the students for the future," said Dr. Dustin Swanger, President, Fulton-Montgomery Community College.

Said Ronald E. Limoncelli, Superintendent of the Greater Amsterdam School District, “The District is very pleased to receive the news that funding has been secured to implement an Upward Bound Program at Amsterdam High School in the Fall of 2007. The successful Federal application was the result of Fulton-Montgomery Community College’s collaboration with the District. The program will benefit the District and it’s students by focusing on increasing our high school graduation rate."

The Upward Bound Program serves high school students from low-income families, high school students from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor's degree, and low-income, first-generation military veterans who are preparing to enter postsecondary education. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education.

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