Gadsden State VUB program to get more than $1.6 million in federal grants

The Veterans Upward Bound program at Gadsden State Community College has received a grant renewal totaling more than $1.6 million over a five-year period.

According to a news release from the college, the program will receive $327,543 annually from the U.S. Department of Education through September 2027.

This is on the heels of grants received in July specifically for the Upward Bound programs at GSCC’s Wallace Drive Campus in Gadsden and its Ayers Campus in Anniston. That will total a collective $711,663 over the next year, plus a commitment for additional funds through 2027.

“The grants are crucial to Gadsden State’s ability to continue providing services to our veterans through VUB and to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds through Upward Bound,” Pam Johnson, dean of Institutional Effectiveness, Grants and Special Projects, said in the release. “VUB is designed to help veterans meet their academic and career goals. Thanks to the grants, we are able to provide a wide variety of services at no cost to eligible veterans.”

Those services include academic assessment and advisement; educational benefits information; financial aid and scholarships; assistance with college enrollment; career planning and exploration; tutoring services; computer skills training; financial management and planning; veteran-related workshops; and community service projects.

Eligible veterans can receive a monthly stipend, according to the release, by participating in weekly VUB educational activities.

“We provide veterans with individualized action plans that are designed to help them reach their full potential,” said VUB Director Sarah Aultman. “We also connect them with many resources that will help them navigate life after the military.”

Gadsden State’s VUB programs is one of only three in the state, and while it has offices on the Wallace Drive and Ayers campuses, its staff also serves veterans throughout Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, DeKalb, Etowah, Jefferson, Marshall, Shelby, St. Clair and Talladega counties. That sometimes involves travel for the staff

“We recently added Clay and Shelby counties to our service area,” Aultman said. “We proudly serve about 125 veterans annually from the 12 counties.”

Although many of those veterans attend Gadsden State, VUB has also helped clients enroll in partnering schools like UAB, Jacksonville State University and Lawson State Community College.

“We are proud that 86 percent of veterans who successfully complete their VUB educational program enroll at a postsecondary education institution,” Aultman said.

For more information, visit www.gadsdenstate.edu/vub or email vub@gadsdenstate.edu.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: GSCC veterans program gets federal money