Press Release Archive

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Governor Culver Announces Iowa Will Receive $16.8 Million Gear Up Grant

Grant intended to raise the college-going expectations of low-income students

Des Moines – Governor Chet Culver today announced Iowa will receive a six-year $16.8 million state grant from the U.S. Department of Education through the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grant program.  The grant to Iowa will be administered by a broad coalition of partners led by the Iowa College Student Aid Commission, the Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees.   

“This grant will help open the doors to higher education for more talented young Iowans,” said Governor Culver.  “This is an example of the great things that can happen when public and private organizations, along with the state and federal governments, work together for the benefit of our young people.  From  pre-K to College, Iowa’s education system is among the best in the country, and today, we are showing that no matter a student’s income or background, there are unlimited opportunities in Iowa.”

The grant targets high-poverty middle- and high schools in Iowa and will provide mentoring, tutoring, academic support, and postsecondary planning and admission assistance.  These efforts are intended to raise the college-going expectations of low-income students and their chances for success in college.  “It is important for the State to reach out to all students and encourage them to seek some sort of education or training after high school,” said Karen Misjak, Executive Director of the Iowa College Student Aid Commission.  “This funding will help Iowa’s most needy students achieve some very important benchmarks such as graduating from high school and college, as well as provide the resources needed to achieve their goals.”  In addition, fifty percent of the grant funds will be used to fund scholarships for students to attend college.  The GEAR UP Iowa grant will serve a cohort of more than 5,000 students beginning in the seventh grade and follow the cohort through high school.

Goals for the project include:

  • to significantly increase the number of minority and low-income students in GEAR UP partner schools who graduate from high school prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education;
  • to support partner middle and high schools in redesigning educational programs to ensure low-income and minority students master a rigorous college-preparation curriculum and graduate from high school;
  • to foster a statewide “college-going culture” among low-income, minority, and first-generation students and families to increase their knowledge of postsecondary options, preparation, and financing;
  • to facilitate the development of a more cohesive PreK-16 educational system. 

Iowa will receive $2.8 million in each of the six years of the grant.  Iowa is one of seven states to be awarded a new state GEAR UP grant in 2008. 

About Iowa College Aid
As the state’s designated guaranty agency for the Family Federal Education Loan Program (FFELP),Iowa College Aid guarantees more than $526 million annually in student loans from private lenders to support over 73,200 Iowa students.  In addition, Iowa College Aid administers state scholarship, grant, and loan forgiveness programs, provides borrowers with assistance to avoid the serious consequences of default, conducts research and distributes higher education data, and offers Iowans assistance in obtaining student financial aid and college-related information.  More information is available at www.IowaCollegeAid.gov.