Metro State’s College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) received word on Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Migrant Education would renew funding for the program. Total funding for the five-year CAMP renewal grant is $2,238,482.

“This is really exciting news for us,” said CAMP Budget and Recruitment Manager Rory Korpela, who’s slated to become CAMP’s director next month. “The renewal grant gives us the opportunity to take CAMP to a whole new level, to do a lot more with our CAMP students.”

The grant pays a portion of 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, and a renewal grant in 2005.

In operation at Metro State since 1999, CAMP has served over 400 students to date. Designed to meet the academic, financial, and social needs of migrant and seasonal farm workers and their children in pursing higher education, CAMP will provide students with 50 percent of tuition and fees for their first year, and, depending on the student’s circumstances, an additional living expenses stipend of $150 per month and health insurance if needed. Korpela hopes to provide more travel and cultural opportunities to CAMP students.

The program boasts an 85 percent retention rate from freshman to sophomore year, and CAMP students tend to have a higher GPA than other students. “We’ve had great success with the CAMP program already,” said Korpela, “and it’s a vital portion of the College’s goal of becoming a Hispanic Serving Institution.”