Colorado Senator Ken Salazar has notified Metro State that it has been awarded a second five-year, almost $2.1 million grant for the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). The college's proposal was funded in its entirety, which is highly unusual according to Joan Foster, interim vice president for Academic Affairs.

The grant, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Migrant Education, pays first-year tuition and fees for students from Colorado migrant and seasonal farm worker families who are American citizens or legal residents of the United States eligible to receive federal student financial aid.

Metro State received its first CAMP grant in 1999. That grant, which ended in 2004, allowed the college to serve 169 students, 19 more than is required. The first CAMP student graduated in spring of 2003. Six more earned their degrees in 2004, one who did so after transferring to another institution. This spring, another 12 graduated, and projections through spring of 2006 are for an additional five.

The college had applied for the second grant in 2004, but was denied. Interim LAS Dean Ken Keller and Sponsored Programs Director Betsy Zeller traveled to Washington D.C. and met with the Office of Migrant Education to clarify several assumptions made by the grant proposal readers that had led to the denial.

“CAMP stayed alive last academic year because the college stepped up and funded the unmet need of eight continuing students,” said Adriann Wycoff, CAMP co-director.

She credits the Development Office with providing $20,000 in uncommitted scholarship funds and the President’s Office for providing $21,991 in scholarship monies as well as the funds to continue the coordinator of counseling and tutoring position on a half-time basis. That position, which is held by Richard Paiz, will go back to full-time now that the second grant has been awarded

In addition to the DOE grant, CAMP receives additional support through the Challenge Foundation. The foundation funded $400,000 in scholarships that have supported more than a dozen former CAMP students in their ongoing studies.

The program's other director, Art Campa, is in Peru and could not be reached for comment.