The Illinois legislature did not allocate funds for any new programmatic initiatives for the fiscal year of 1992.

One of the programs that was denied such funds was a proposed early intervention program aimed to assist minorities.

PROMPT was designed in 1989, but has not yet received any money from the state to officially begin the program.

Funding for FY1993 will be proposed on Oct. 1. PROMPT will know by next spring, at the earliest, if the program will receive any financial aid, said Lynne Waldeland, assistant provost for academic planning.

The program is designed to take talented minority candidates early in their academic careers (7th and 8th grade) and prepare them for college, Waldeland said.

The purpose of PROMPT is to increase the number of minority youth that complete high school, said Tendaji W. Ganges, director of Educational Services and Programs. Another purpose of PROMPT is to assist these youth by helping them select the most beneficial college preparatory courses, Waldeland said.

By helping them choose the right courses, minorities are encouraged to receive baccalaureate degrees specifically in fields in which they have been historically misrepresented, such as science and math, Ganges said.

Rockford will be the homesite of the PROMPT program. NIU would like to build on the well-established programs the school already has there, such as the Upward Bound program, Waldeland said.