TRiO Staff from left: Dan Slater, Marcy Hernandez, Jaime Delevere, Joseph Obleton and Kari Koster

Student Support Services

Application

The Federal TRiO Programs are educational opportunity outreach programs designed to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRiO includes five distinct outreach programs targeted to serve and assist students on their academic journey from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs.

TRiO stands for our nation’s commitment to the dream of education for all American regardless of race, ethnic background or economic circumstances.

The Purpose of the TRiO Student Support Services program is:

• To increase college retention and graduation ratesfor eligible students.
• To increase the transfer rates of eligible students from 2 to 4-year institutions
• To foster an institutional climate supportive of the success of low income and first generation college students and individuals with disabilities.

Mission Statement
We believe in the value of each individual. We enjoy the privilege of serving students and witnessing their growth. We encourage personal choice and acceptance of responsibility. We believe in students’ dreams and provide a nurturing and supportive environment for the realization and accomplishment of those dreams. We are committed to life long learning.

Goal
The goal of SSS is to increase the college retention and graduation rates of its participants and facilitate the process of transition from one level of higher education to the next.

History
The history of TRiO is progressive. It began with Upward Bound which emerged out of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 in response to the administration’s War on Poverty. In 1965, Talent Search, the second outreach program, was created as part of the Higher Education Act. In 1968, Student Support Services, which was originally known as Special Services for disadvantaged Students, was authorized by the Higher Education Amendments and became the third in a series of educational opportunity programs. By the last 1960’s the term “TRiO” was coined to describe these federal programs.

Over the years the TRiO Programs have been expanded and improved to provide a wider range of services and to reach more students who need assistance. The Higher Education Amendments of 1972 added the fourth program to the TRiO group by authorizing the Educational Opportunity Centers. The 1976 Education Amendments authorized the Training Program for Federal TRiO Programs, initially known as the Training Program for Special Programs Staff and Leadership Personnel. Amendments in 1968 added the sixth program, the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program. Additionally, in 1990, the Department created the Upward Bound Math/Science program to address the need for specific instruction in the fields of math and science. The Upward Bound Math/Science program is administered under the same regulation as the regular Upward Bond program, but it must be applied for separately. The legislative requirements for all six TRiO programs can be found in the Higher Education Act of 1965, Title IV, Part A, Subpart 2.