ISSUED: 8 June 2021
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University’s Martinsburg Center has received a donation of a charging cart with 10 laptop computers from the West Virginia Veterans Upward Bound program. The $8,500 donation, made through the Shepherd University Foundation, will provide the latest technology to veterans and other students taking classes at the center.
Veterans Upward Bound is a TRIO program that started in 1972 as veterans from the Vietnam War were returning home. West Virginia has had a Veterans Upward Bound program since 1990 and it expanded to the Eastern Panhandle about four years ago. Director Mark Rosencrance says the program offers academic assistance to prepare veterans for post-secondary education.
“Veterans Upward Bound helps eligible veterans who want to pursue trade school, college, or other post-secondary education,” Rosencrance said. “It also helps if they need to figure out their GI Bill or financial aid situation, transfer military credits or academic credits from other schools, or get into or prepare for post-secondary education. The goal is to get them to matriculate onto graduation.”
Danielle Clum, eastern region academic advisor, estimates close to 200 vets have taken advantage of Veterans Upward Bound in the Martinsburg area. She facilitates six-week-long basic computer skills classes that have been condensed to three weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clum said the next computer class will be the 15th offered in less than 4 years, with about 100 veterans completing the classes during that span.
“When we offer the free in-seat class, the vets who register use the laptops in the Martinsburg Center,” Clum said. “From these classes I’ve assisted some veterans to further pursue a Regents Bachelor of Arts degree at Shepherd.”
“I’m very excited for the veterans in our community,” said Jim Klein, Martinsburg Center director. “As a result of our partnership with Veterans Upward Bound the updated technology should help improve the learning experience for our current and future students. As a center that primarily serves a student body that may not be considered traditional, the computers will provide another tool they can use to update a resume, apply for a job, or even take a continuing education exam for practical credit.”
To learn more about making a gift through the Shepherd University Foundation, please contact Monica Lingenfelter, executive vice president, Shepherd University Foundation, P.O. Box 5000, Shepherdstown, WV, 25443-5000, 304-876-5397, or visit the Foundation website.
For more information about Upward Bound, visit the West Virginia Veterans Upward Bound website.
For more information about programs at the Shepherd University Martinsburg Center, visit the center’s website.
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