Valdosta State University is the proud recipient of a $2.1 million competitive grant from the United States Department of Education Office of Migrant Education. Funds from the College Assistance Migrant Program grant will be used to help identify, recruit, and retain students who are legal U.S. residents or citizens and are migratory or seasonal farmworkers — or the children of these migrant workers — and build a bridge to higher education.

“As reflected in its mission statement, VSU is committed to meeting the educational needs of the region’s diverse population in order to sustain economic growth and advance the standard of living for everyone,” said Dr. Anthony Scheffler, interim associate vice president of academic affairs, a professor in the James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education and Human Services, and principal investigator on the grant. “The university has demonstrated this commitment by actively exploring innovative pedagogies and working to enhance its recruitment and student support processes in order to accommodate all students, regardless of their circumstance.”

The College Assistance Migrant Program, or CAMP, was established in 1972 to help students from migrant and seasonal farm working backgrounds obtain college education. CAMP accomplishes this mission through diverse services offered to students and their families: scholarships and help with other financial aid, admissions counseling, pre-college transition and first-year support programs, housing assistance, tutoring aid, registration and coursework planning, career counseling,  and other individualized support.

For more information, please see the below links:

Official VSU news release: http://www.valdosta.edu/about/news/releases/2016/08/vsu-awarded-2.1-million-to-help-identify,-recruit,-retain-migrant-students.php

CAMP information page on OSPRA’s website: http://www.valdosta.edu/academics/graduate-school/research/office-of-sponsored-programs-research-administration/camp.php