JSC’s Upward Bound Director Awarded

November 2, 2015

The Vermont Educational Opportunity Programs (VEOP) recently awarded Tony Blueter, director of Upward Bound at Johnson State College, with the Jack Anderson Distinguished Service Award. The award recognizes professionals who have demonstrated years of dedicated service to TRIO and similar educational opportunity programs (EOP) and have served as mentors for other TRIO and EOP professionals.

Blueter received the award at VEOP’s annual conference on Oct. 13 at Vermont Technical College in Randolph.

Blueter joined JSC in 1989 to work for the Student Support Services Program. He later served as learning resource coordinator, assistant director of Upward Bound, and, in 1997, he was appointed director of the program, providing services for TRIO Upward Bound students from across Vermont and New England.

In 2005, Blueter began the Green Mountain Scholars Bowl competition, which offers academic leadership opportunities and scholarship experience for Upward Bound students. In 2009, he began the Greening Summit at JSC. Co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the event brings together Vermont high school students to present ideas to make their schools and communities more environmentally conscious.

VEOP is the Vermont professional organization that ensures equal educational opportunity for the state’s college-bound students, including those who are first-generation college students, those from low- to moderate-income families and those with disabilities.

Vermont currently has 14 federally funded educational opportunity programs that serve 11,875 Vermonters and bring in almost $9 million dollars annually to the state.