UB Evite letter (rev 7-12-13)

APPENDIX B

Survey Invite Letter to UB Project Directors

Dear <Name of Project Director>:

We appreciate and thank you for the important work you are doing as the director of the Upward Bound (UB) project at <HOST INSTITUTION NAME.>.

The survey should take approximately 40 minutes. We ask that you complete it by <MM/DD/YYYY>.

The easiest way to fill out the survey is on the web. To complete, click the link below and enter your unique password.

• Link:  TRIO Survey

• Password: XXXX

If you would prefer a paper version of the survey, please email, sepps@dir-online.com or call 888-xxx-xxxx.

As you may already know from Director Gaby Watts’ prior communication, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) is sponsoring the Survey of the Upward Bound Project Directors. I am writing to urge you to participate in the survey, which is part of a study of promising practices that is mandated by Congress. Grantee cooperation in any national study of a federal program, such as Upward Bound, is a condition of the grant (34 CFR § 75.591).

The survey aims to: (a) obtain current detailed information on how projects across the country are providing core program components and services, and (b) to identify promising practices for future study. We will share the findings from this survey with the TRIO community and others interested in improving college access programs for low-income and first generation students.  Your cooperation with this survey and the valuable information you can provide is essential to the success of this effort.

All of your answers are completely confidential.  Findings from the survey will only be reported in the aggregate and public reports will not identify you or your Upward Bound project.  Under the direction of ED’s Institute of Education Sciences, Decision Information Resources, Inc. (DIR) and Abt Associates are required by law to uphold all federal laws regarding privacy and confidentiality.

If you have any questions regarding your obligation to complete the survey, please contact XXX at (202-XXX-XXXX). If you have technical problems accessing the survey online, please contact the survey director, Dr. Sylvia Epps, at DIR (phone: 1-888-864-1425, ext. 116; email: sepps@dir-online.com).

Thank you for cooperation by participating in this important study.

Sincerely,

Dr. Sylvia Epps

Survey Director

Decision Information Resources, Inc.