APSU EOC program receives five-year, $2.2 million federal grant

(Published Oct. 28, 2021)
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The Educational Opportunity Center, a free community service sponsored by Austin Peay State University, recently received a $2.2 million U.S. Department of Education grant to continue helping adults enroll in college or other higher education programs.
The new federal award will provide APSU with about $440,000 a year for the next five years to continue the program. The EOC assists adults in earning a high school diploma or GED, applying for a post-secondary education, finding and submitting financial aid applications, and enrolling in an institution of higher education.
“Austin Peay is committed to serving our community and the EOC is a wonderful example of these services,” Dr. Chad Brooks, APSU associate provost for research, said. “For more than a decade, Austin Peay’s EOC has been helping more than 1,000 people each year within our community to improve their learning skills and to better understand financial aid rules and anything dealing with higher education.”
The EOC is a free service for adults 19 or older, living in Montgomery, Stewart and Houston counties in Tennessee, along with Christian County in Kentucky and the Fort Campbell Military Post.
“The EOC, as well as several other federal funded programs at Austin Peay, significantly impact our regional community each year,” Brooks said.
Other EOC like programs at APSU include:
- Veterans Upward Bound, a $2 million grant program that serves more than 100 veterans each year.
- Tri-County Upward Bound, a $1.5 million grant that serves about 50 high school students per year, which includes a summer camp experience and two dual enrollment courses.
- Student Support Services, a $2 million grant that serves about 1,000 high school students by providing calculators and other technologies and tutoring in math, reading and writing.
The EOC is located in room 333 of the Ellington Building, but its focus is not on recruiting students just for Austin Peay. The program helps adults get enrolled in the institution of their choice.
For information on the EOC, or to set up an appointment, call 931-221-7481. Additional information is available online at http://www.apsu.edu/eoc.
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