A University of Kansas center has received more than $2 million in funding for a program to help students from migrant agricultural families who attend KU and several other schools in the region.

KU’s Center for Educational Opportunity Programs has received a five-year funding award of $2.37 million from the U.S. Department of Education. The funding will support a project to serve 175 migrant students at KU, Kansas City Kansas Community College, Metropolitan Community College in Omaha, Nebraska, and Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City, Iowa.

The program will, among other benefits, provide students with a first-year scholarship, a laptop computer and a host of services centered around academic advising, academic support and community building opportunities.

The program is called the Heartland College Assistance Migrant Program, and it is built upon a belief that a successful first year of college is critical to overall success in higher education for students who come from migrant families.

“A confluence of socioeconomic disadvantages works against these students, but this program provides the type of support system that can make all the difference between staying in school and thriving, and dropping out, ” Ngondi Kamaṱuka, director of KU’s Center for Educational Opportunity Programs, said in a release.