High Country Times

BOONE, N.C. — The U.S. Department of Education has awarded a seven-year, $35 million GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) grant to Appalachian State University's College Access Partnerships in the Reich College of Education. This award represents the largest single grant ever awarded to the university.

GEAR UP is a federally funded college access program designed to increase the number of students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education immediately after high school. Through a wide range of research-based services to students, families, and teachers, the GEAR UP NC Appalachian Partnership aims to improve college-going mindsets, high school graduation rates, and postsecondary enrollment rates.

App State is one of only 18 institutions nationwide awarded a GEAR UP grant in 2024, and it is the largest award in this cycle. The university administers multiple GEAR UP grants, and the most recent grant program, which began on Sept. 1, is known as GEAR UP APEX (Advancing Prosperity through Education and eXcellence). GEAR UP APEX includes 12 school districts and seven partnering North Carolina higher education institutions, all working together to provide college and career services to nearly 14,500 middle and high school students and their families.

Appalachian State University Interim Chancellor Dr. Heather Norris | Appalachian State University

“App State is honored to receive federal grant funding to extend the GEAR UP college access program to even more middle and high school students in our community, affirming our belief that every student, regardless of their background, should have the opportunity to pursue higher education,” said App State Interim Chancellor Heather Norris. “By investing in their futures, we are investing in the future of our entire region.”

The 12 school districts represent 52 middle and high schools. Higher education partners include:

The grant is led by Dr. James Beeler, executive director of College Access Partnerships, and Corinne Smith, director of GEAR UP and director of operations for College Access Partnerships.

Under the 2024 grant, Smith will serve as the principal investigator; College Access Partnerships Associate Director Doug Thompson will serve as the program director; and College Access Partnerships Assistant Director of Research and Evaluation Dr. Jui-Teng Li will serve as co-principal investigator.

Additional programmatic and support partners include myFutureNC, Participate Learning, Society for Science, National Postsecondary Strategy Institute, MasteryPrep, The Princeton Review, Leading Edge Learning, American School Counselor Association, Public School Forum of NC, Texas Instruments, Youth Villages; App State’s Mathematics and Science Education Center; Level All; AeroEducate; CoBro Consulting; and App State’s Center for Analytics Research and Education.

App State has implemented federal GEAR UP programming nearly every year since 1999. The current version of GEAR UP started in 2014 and is celebrating ten years of service this year. Programming provides a comprehensive range of services to low-income and high-need students throughout Western North Carolina.

Starting in sixth grade, students receive early awareness services tailored to their individual needs. GEAR UP serves all students in target grades through high school graduation into their first year of college.

GEAR UP professional learning services align with schools' needs as they progress through the grant supporting systemic change efforts while monitoring student success.

GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness & Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) aims to increase postsecondary readiness among students through various research-grounded services targeting students’ academic needs.

College Access Partnerships (CAP) at Appalachian State University encompasses programs like Appalachian GEAR UP aimed at preparing Western North Carolina students for postsecondary learning opportunities leading to regional careers.

As a premier public institution within the University of North Carolina System with over 21 campuses statewide including Boone & Hickory locations along with online offerings—Appalachian State University maintains its commitment towards providing affordable quality education fostering purposeful leadership among its diverse student body exceeding over twenty-one thousand enrollees annually across more than two hundred undergraduate/graduate disciplines offered institution-wide.