Parkland College Awarded Five-Year Funding for TRiO Project
TRiO/Student Support Services program receives federal five year grant
Parkland College announced today that the TRiO Student Support Services project has received funding for the next five years through the U.S. Department of Education's Student Support Services program to help more students succeed in and graduate from college. Parkland received news of the funding from the offices of Senator Dick Durbin and Congressman Rodney Davis. The total funding for the next academic year is $335,111, and the total award over the five-year period of the grant will be greater than $1.6 million.
The purpose of the Student Support Services program is to provide academic and other support services to first-generation and low-income students, as well as students with disabilities. These services are designed to increase participants’ retention and graduation rates, facilitate their transfer from two-year to four-year colleges, and foster an institutional climate supportive of the success of first generation and low-income college students and individuals with disabilities. Project services including instruction in basic study skills, tutorial services, academic, financial, or personal counseling, assistance in securing admission and financial aid for enrollment in four-year institutions, assistance applying for and understanding financial aid and scholarship options, and guidance on career options.
Parkland’s TRiO/SSS project has been serving Parkland students since 1997, and has served well over 3,000 students in its lifetime. Each year, TRiO/SSS assists 180 students to meet their academic goals of persisting, graduating, and transferring. Project evaluation has consistently shown that students who participate in TRiO/SSS persist and graduate at higher rates than nonparticipants. TRiO/SSS at Parkland is 100% funded by federal funds, in the amount of $335,111 for this year.
For more information regarding the TRiO Student Support Services grant at Parkland College, or for questions regarding SSS services, please contact Julia Hawthorne, TRiO/SSS director, at jhawthorne@parkland.edu.