Upward Bound director says program thriving

CLOVIS — Upward Bound at Clovis Community College is thriving after being re-funded, according to Director Kellyann Weber.

Weber told CCC’s board of trustees on Wednesday that 55 students from Clovis High School are being served by the program after a grant cycle for 2017 through 2022 was approved by the state.

Weber said students in the program receive “as much academic and cultural experiences as possible,” to improve their college readiness. These activities include tutoring, ACT preparatory courses, fine arts performance attendance and guest speakers during the school year.

“These are fist generation (and, or) low income students so they might not get these experiences otherwise,” Weber said.

The students also have opportunities to visit college campuses, participate in community service, and take courses in the summertime to bridge the gap between school years, Weber said.

Ten seniors graduated from the program in May and all have been accepted to colleges for the fall 2017 semester.

The students will travel to University of North Las Vegas, Nevada State University, West Texas A&M, and New Mexico Junior College in July.

Also at Wednesday’s meeting President Becky Rowley gave the board a legislative update on funding from the state for higher education.

The Legislature passed a budget in special session, which meant a 1.2 percent cut for CCC.

Rowley said the college anticipated as much, if not more drastic cuts and therefore planned its budget accordingly.

That proposed budget was approved by the board in April and submitted to the state this month.

“The governor still did not approve any additional taxes” proposed by the Legislature to generate revenue, Rowley said. However, oil taxes and gross receipts taxes in the state are up slightly, which allowed for there to be less significant cuts.

“This is the best scenario that we could hope for,” Rowley said.

She said the college is staying alert to possible cuts in the near future.

“I’m not optimistic enough to think we’re home free,” she said.

The board also approved contract renewals for custodial services, insurance, and banner maintenance totaling over $700,000 dollars.