The six-week Residential Component, operating Monday through Friday, exposes students to a simulated university environment, and helps develop the academic skills and personal motivation necessary for success in post-secondary education. 

The goals of the summer component are to provide participants with a comprehensive program of rigorous academic instruction and enrichment, targeted tutoring, academic and personal counseling, college/career guidance and planning, and exposure to educational, cultural and extra-curricular activities. 

The summer component is scheduled to coincide with the University's summer session; this ensures that the campus will be active, and the facilities are open and available to Upward Bound students. During the summer component, students are housed on the University of Wisconsin-Superior campus, at Crownhart or Curran McNeill Ostrander Halls. 

Classes are offered on two levels or tracks (I and II), and student's instruction in the following core subjects:

• mathematics
• composition
• literature
• laboratory science
• foreign language

Theme-based Curriculum:

• an overall theme that is relevant to students and facilitates cross-disciplinary study is identified by the instructional staff in the spring of each year
• at subsequent staff development sessions, the instructional staff brainstorm how each subject (mathematics, language arts, social studies, science and the arts) will enable students to view the theme from each subject's distinct perspective
• in the development of syllabi, instructors incorporate the application on concepts and knowledge to the summer program theme by developing a series of guiding questions, from simple to complex, which effectively cultivates critical and creative thinking skills by developing thinking strategies for inquiry, analysis and understanding
• students are evaluated on their proficiency in applying concepts to complex problems or issues

The overall theme that is used for the summer component is that of change. Based on this overall theme, the integrated curriculum is as follows:

Recreational and cultural activities are an integral part of the summer program.  Students participate in a physical education class which includes a host of individual and team sports (swimming, tennis, volleyball, soccer, basketball, racquetball, bowling and billiards).  Cultural development activities include attending an age appropriate University-sponsored dance, theater production, and field trips, which include tours of museums, colleges, and a research experience at an environmental learning center. 

 

The summer program concludes with an Upward Bound awards ceremony.  The awards ceremony recognizes the efforts and achievements of students.  Parents, teachers, University officials and community members are invited to share the students' accomplishments.  Stipend: Each student receives $60 for successful participation in the summer component.  As in the academic year, stipends are prorated so that students only receive a stipend for the required activities they attend and assignments they complete.

Students earn 1/2 cr. toward their high school graduation for each year they participate in both academic and summer components.