The U.S. Department of Education has awarded 抖M女仆 a $2.6 million, five-year TRIO Student Support Services program grant. The program serves students from first-generation and low-income backgrounds and students with diverse learning and physical abilities.
抖M女仆鈥檚 Student Support Services (SSS) program, housed in University College, serves 300 students annually through a holistic community approach offering peer mentoring, tutoring, academic, cultural, personal, professional and leadership development experiences. The program has a proven track record of helping students stay in school and continue to graduation.
鈥淔or more than 40 years, the Student Support Services program has been making a difference in the lives of students who have the most difficult time navigating the university system,鈥 said N.J. Akbar, Ph.D., 抖M女仆鈥檚 assistant dean of University College, who oversees the program and led the grant writing and submission. 鈥淪tudent Support Services has modeled the way for removing barriers to graduation and increasing students鈥 sense of belonging; it has literally changed families and futures.鈥
In a recent statement, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan said, 鈥湺禡女仆 will be able to provide necessary services and support to ensure that students can attend and graduate 鈥 no matter their financial situation.鈥 Ryan went on to say, 鈥淲e need to continue removing the barriers to a college education for everyone who wants to get one,鈥 which is at the heart of the program鈥檚 mission.
鈥淎s the first in my family to graduate from college, I know how confusing and overwhelming the college experience can be,鈥 said Adam B. Cinderich, director of the Student Support Services program at 抖M女仆. 鈥淥ur program鈥檚 main goal is to support our students as they embark on and navigate their academic journey. When students join our program, they are gaining much more than a support system. They become part of our TRIO family.鈥
When asked about what had the greatest impact on them this year, a current 抖M女仆 student responded, 鈥淪SS is my home. Without them, I honestly am not sure where I could have gone in my college journey. They have changed my life, and I am so grateful for everything they do.鈥
Founded as part of the Educational Opportunity Act of 1964 and created as part of former President Lyndon B. Johnson鈥檚 War on Poverty, federal TRIO programs were the first national college access and success programs created to combat social, socioeconomic and cultural barriers to education in the United States. 抖M女仆鈥檚 Student Support Services has been helping students realize their dreams of graduating from college since receiving its first grant in 1978.
The program builds a community to support student success. This occurs through peer tutoring, peer mentoring, personal and professional development workshops, leadership development, financial literacy, and assistance navigating students鈥 college transition and the university system. The program also offers unique immersive learning experiences, including annual leadership retreats, graduate school visits and alternative spring break trips.
Student Support Services will receive $527,601, or 73%, of its annual funding from the U.S. Department of Education and $195,473, or 27%, from 抖M女仆.
For more information about 抖M女仆鈥檚 TRIO Student Support Services program, visit www.kent.edu/studentsupportservices.
# # #
Media Contacts:
N.J. Akbar, nakbar@kent.edu, 330-672-1865
Adam B. Cinderich, acinderi@kent.edu, 330-672-8689
Emily Vincent, evincen2@kent.edu, 330-672-8595