NEWS

After grant error, MSU expected to fund college prep for Lansing kids

RJ Wolcott
Lansing State Journal

EAST LANSING - Michigan State University will fund a version of its long-running college prep program for Lansing high school students after its existing program was slated to end because of an error in a federal grant application, according to Lansing School District officials.

MSU learned in February it wouldn’t be receiving nearly $480,000 in federal funds to operate its Upward Bound program. MSU officials submitted a grant application last fall to the federal government to continue Upward Bound for the next five years. The program serves about 100 students from Lansing's three public high school each year.

An error by university staff caused a key document of the proposal to be left out of the submission, prompting a rejection notice from federal officials, Associate Provost Sekhar Chivukula said last week. MSU had no recourse, he added, other than applying for a new grant in five years.

Despite that shortfall — amounting to 80% of the program’s budget — MSU officials told the district earlier this week the university will continue helping students prepare for college, district spokesperson Bob Kolt said.

"MSU has shown once again they are committed to the students in the Lansing School District," Lansing School District Superintendent Yvonne Caamal Canul said in a statement.  "This partnership will continue to inspire and promote the next generation of graduates.”

It's not clear what the program will be called, and MSU officials said they would not comment until after a meeting with parents scheduled for Thursday. No further information was available as of Thursday evening.

That partnership appeared threatened as recently as last week.

Related:

Error costs MSU $480K, ends college prep program for Lansing kids

For more than 50 years, MSU offered Lansing students tutoring and other assistance preparing for college through the Upward Bound program. Upward Bound is one of eight programs created in the 1960s to give low-income, first-generation college students or individuals with disabilities opportunities to further their education.

Caamal Canul said she was thankful to MSU President Lou Anna Simon for continuing to assist Lansing students.

“Upward Bound has bounded back," she said.

Contact RJ Wolcott at (517) 377-1026 or rwolcott@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @wolcottr.