The U.S. Department of Education has award the College of Charleston a Student Support Services grant to help promote the academic success of 140 low-income, first generation, or disabled students. Student Support Services is one of eight TRIO higher education grant programs sponsored by the United States Department of Education.
The goal of the TRIO program is to increase the college retention and graduation rates of its participants. With this grant, the program director and counselor will develop an individualized action plan for each participating student, and will closely oversee the execution of the plan to ensure that the student is fully utilizing campus and program resources. In addition to academic support, the program will connect each student with cultural events, personal financial education, career counseling and peer mentoring.
“This program will help to fill a significant gap between the College’s Upward Bound program, designed to assist pre-college participants in their preparation for admission, and the McNair Scholars program, designed to prepare eligible participants for doctoral studies through involvement in research and other scholarly activities,” says College of Charleston Provost George Hynd. “It is through efforts such as this that we can move forward in attracting and supporting the best and most deserving students to the College of Charleston. “
The grant is $220,000 a year for five years with $44,000 a year dedicated to direct financial aid to the students in the program. The College will provide a 1/3 match to the grant aid resulting in a total of $58,667.
