Success Paths Continued

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Graceland University a federal TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) grant totaling $1,958,110 to improve college retention and graduation rates among low-income, first-generation students, and students with disabilities.

This award marks the continuation of TRIO SSS services on our campus for an additional 5 years. The program serves 180 students, helping them stay in school, earn degrees, and build meaningful careers.

Through individualized services including academic tutoring, financial aid, scholarship guidance, career exploration, personal and academic counseling, and mentoring, TRIO SSS empowers students to overcome barriers to success. This comprehensive support framework makes it significantly more likely that students will complete their degree or successfully transfer, with the lowest possible debt.

“Student Support Services helps level the playing field and equips our students with the tools to graduate and lead with confidence,” Julie Neas, Executive Director of the TRIO Programs at Graceland University, illustrated.

“This grant allows Graceland University to deepen our commitment to ensuring that all students – regardless of background – can thrive academically and personally,” said Graceland President Joel Shrock.

Nationally, the SSS program has a proven track record [links to a PDF page of the COE, Council for Opportunity in Education]. According to a rigorous 2019 evaluation by the U.S. Department of Education, students in SSS at two-year institutions were 48% more likely to earn an associate’s degree or transfer to a four-year school, and students at four-year institutions were 18% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree compared to similar peers not in the program.

“TRIO programs generally and TRIO SSS, in particular, transforms students from the least resourced backgrounds into college graduates,” said Kimberly Jones, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education in Washington, D.C. “This vital program makes all the difference for nearly a million students each year across the country.”

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About the TRIO Programs

SSS is one of eight federal TRIO programs funded under the Higher Education Act of 1965 to remove social, academic, and cultural barriers to higher education. Since its inception in 1968, SSS has helped millions of low-income, first-generation students graduate from college and contribute to their communities and the economy. Notable alumni of the TRIO Student Support Services program include Michael Cashman, Town Supervisor of Plattsburgh, NY; former NASA astronaut José Hernández; and Cheryl Johnson, 36^th Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives.

The eight TRIO programs helping students overcome academic, economic, and social barriers to higher education are: Talent Search, Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math-Science, Veterans Upward Bound, Student Support Services, Educational Opportunity Centers, and the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program.

TRIO services include assistance in college choice and application, personal/financial/career counseling, workplace and college visits, tutoring in reading/writing/sciences and study skills, assistance in applying for financial aid, academic assistance in high school, or assistance to reenter high school or college.