Santa Fe College has received three federal grants from the U.S. Department of Education totaling $4,466,215 to enhance its TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) programs. The funding is aimed at increasing retention and graduation rates among low-income students, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities.
TRIO SSS provides services such as academic tutoring, financial aid and scholarship guidance, career exploration, counseling, and mentoring. Since 1984, more than 9,000 Santa Fe College students have participated in the program.
Two of the new grants will support veteran and STEM students with targeted resources intended to improve degree completion or successful transfer while minimizing student debt.
“The TRIO SSS grants have had a profound impact on our students for more than 40 years,” said SF President Paul Broadie. “Receiving this grant enables us to continue our transformative work, ensuring that students get the support they need to succeed in the classroom and thrive in their careers.”
First-generation student Lilith Little shared how the program made her education possible: “It helped me pay for classes and books that I would have otherwise never been able to afford,” she said. “TRIO has also helped me make meaningful connections with an amazing academic advisor who will ensure I graduate on time, and with tutors who are always there to help.”
According to a 2019 evaluation by the U.S. Department of Education, participants in SSS at two-year institutions were nearly half again as likely to earn an associate’s degree or transfer compared to their peers not enrolled in the program; those at four-year schools were 18% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree.
Kimberly Jones, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education in Washington, D.C., commented on the importance of these efforts: “TRIO programs generally, and TRIO SSS in particular, transform students from being the least resourced into college graduates. This vital program makes all the difference for nearly a million students each year across the country.”
The SSS initiative is part of eight federal TRIO programs funded under the Higher Education Act of 1965. Established nationally in 1968, SSS has worked toward removing barriers—social, academic, and cultural—to higher education for low-income and first-generation college students.
More information about Santa Fe College’s TRIO Student Support Services can be found at https://www.sfcollege.edu/trio/.
