Alabama State University announced this week it has received a $24.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the largest single grant that the university has ever received.
Spanning seven years, the grant will fund the creation and implementation of a program to increase the readiness of Montgomery Public School students for college and other postsecondary education opportunities.
ASU provost and vice president for academic affairs Carl Pettis will serve as the primary investigator on the grant, and he expects the program to provide “academic preparation services” to over 26,000 MPS students by 2028.
This year, it is starting with the 4,495 sixth and seventh graders across MPS middle schools.
“We are elated that this initiative was funded by the U.S. Department of Education because through this endeavor, ASU will collectively work with Montgomery Public Schools to be change-agents for the academic well-being and continued growth of our MPS students and scholars,” Pettis said in a statement.
The high school graduation rate and overall college readiness among MPS students fall far below the state average, according to the most recent data available from the state.
In 2020, the Alabama State Department of Education reported that 91.71% of its students graduated and 80.25% were “college and career ready.” During that same year, MPS saw an 87.47% graduation rate, and only 59.06% of its students were college ready.
ASU’s project aims to address these issues by working with MPS and other community partners, including Auburn University and Tuskegee University.
The grant is titled Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, and it is commonly referred to as GEAR UP. 150 groups are participating in GEAR UP, and the U.S. Department of Education has awarded over $360 million to the program nationwide this year.
In addition to the university provost, other investigators on the project are assistant provosts Kennedy Wekesa and Tanjula Petty.
“Helping students succeed is what education is all about and GEAR UP at ASU has the potential of impacting the lives and educational opportunities for thousands of area students over the next seven years,” ASU president Quinton Ross said in a press release.
Ross is a former MPS principal, and he said the GEAR UP project will take on a new level of community involvement for the university.
Hadley Hitson covers the rural South for the Montgomery Advertiser and Report for America. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com.
Read More: ASU receives $24 million grant to increase college readiness at MPS