The root of the Academic Achievement Programs (AAP) department can be traced back to 1967, when 19 University of Maryland-Upward Bound Program students were provided academic instruction along with financial and counseling services, under the Intensive Educational Development Program (IED), which was developed in 1967.
In 1990, the AAP department was established by Dr. Jerry L. Lewis as the umbrella administrative unit to administer IED and other existing and potential programs. Through the years, hundreds of low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students have benefited from IED and AAP. IED, being one of the first programs to focus on this student population and minority students, also was part of the foundation for the development of the Nymburo Cultural Center and Office of Minority Student Education (OMSE) in the early 1970s.
Today, AAP maintains, coordinates, and provides leadership, development, assessment, and supervision for seven academic programs (Summer Transitional Program, Student Support Services, Intensive Educational Development, Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, the Educational Opportunity Center, and the Educational Talent Search Programs (ETS) North and Central.