The Tyler Junior College TRIO program has been awarded a U.S. Department of Education grant for $1,371,310, that will provide critical funding for the next five years.
The grant provides $274,262 annually to serve 200 students per year through August 2025. Through a grant competition, funds are awarded to institutions of higher education to provide opportunities for academic development, assist students with basic college requirements and to motivate students toward the successful completion of their postsecondary education.
TRIO/Student Support Services (SSS) projects may also provide grant aid to current participants who are receiving Federal Pell Grants. The goal of SSS, a TRIO grant program, is to increase the college retention and graduation rates of its participants.
The program provides academic and other support services to low-income, first-generation or disabled college students to increase students’ retention and graduation rates, facilitate their transfer from two-year to four-year colleges,
and foster an institutional climate supportive of the success of low-income and first-generation college students and individuals with disabilities.
“It is exciting to know that the support and resources provided by this grant will continue so that we can help more TJC students to realize their potential for success,” said Brad Gifford, director of TJC TRIO programs. “Seeing our students succeed despite their challenges means the world to me. It is an honor to provide support and resources to our SSS TRIO students.”
TJC has received the TRIO grant since 1997. The program provides individual academic coaching, academic advisement and placement, tutoring, study skills seminars, financial literacy and scholastic probation prevention. TRIO provides an opportunity for students to learn about the transfer process through university transfer information and campus visits.
For more information, contact Gifford at 903-510-2532 or go to TJC.edu/TRIO.