Following a national competition, Michigan State University has been awarded a highly competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Education for the 2015 – 2020 Student Support Services Program. MSU will receive $659,582 each year of the grant cycle, allowing for the continuation of the university’s TRIO SSS Program, an initiative that has fostered the academic and professional development of students since it was first awarded to MSU in 1973.
“The SSS Program is designed for students who have the potential to achieve and maintain high levels of academic excellence,” said Aurles Wiggins, director of MSU’s TRIO SSS Program. “Through this program, students are introduced to university resources and a network of faculty and administrators, dedicated peer mentors and committed program professionals.”
Throughout the past 42 years the program has helped more than 20,000 students. In order to receive assistance from MSU’s TRIO SSS Program, students must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a program of post-secondary education. Low-income students who are first-generation college students and students with disabilities showing academic need are eligible to receive the program’s services.
“Students who work hard and are accepted into college deserve every opportunity to succeed,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., in a recent press statement. “Thanks to this funding, more college students across Mid-Michigan will get tutoring, financial aid counseling and other support they need to finish school.”
The award will allow MSU’s TRIO SSS Program to continue to provide academic and professional experiences and the resources participants may need as they earn an undergraduate degree. The grant will fund academic assistance, career counseling, personal advising and academic support, in addition to unique programming initiatives.
“Whether it’s improving academic support services or increasing financial resources, this support from the Department of Education will bolster efforts to retain and graduate more students in Mid-Michigan,” said Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., recently in a press statement. “Higher education increases economic opportunity and provides a pathway to the middle class, and putting the dream of completing a higher education degree within reach for more Michigan students is critical.”
MSU is among 22 colleges chosen across Michigan this year to receive funding for TRIO Student Support Services.
“Students will continue to receive the services designed to develop the necessary skills and strategies to succeed in college,” Wiggins said. “All of the services are free of charge and available to any student who completes the application, qualifies under federal guidelines and is invited into the program.”
For more information about MSU’s TRIO Student Support Services Program, visit http://trio.oss.msu.edu