WAUKESHA – The TRIO program administered on the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha campus for freshman-sophomore UW Colleges campuses in four communities has been awarded a $2.6 million, five-year US Department of Education grant, the longest term for which renewals for such grants are given.
Through TRIO’s Student Support Services (SSS) program, UW Colleges can provide academic and other support services to low-income, first-generation, and/or physically disabled students with academic need. These services are designed to increase the likelihood that the students will be retained, finish their studies, and transfer to a baccalaureate university.
The program offers ongoing advising – personal, financial, career, and transferring. Professional tutors assist in English and math, and learning support classes are linked with these subjects as well as other core areas. Peer mentors go one-on-one with TRIO students, and cultural and social programs help participants acclimate.
Margaret Millspaw, Ixonia, started at UW-Waukesha in 2001 with the help of TRIO. In 2004 she transferred to UW-Whitewater, where she is completing her final year in a bachelor of science program with a major in Organizational Communication. She credits the TRIO program for putting her on track for a bachelor’s degree. “Knowing that they (staff) were there to help me succeed all the way through, not just semester to semester, was a big help to me. The range of support, not only having academic, but personal and emotional support, helped me get through all my classes,” said Millspaw.
To be eligible for this program, students must have taxable income not exceeding150 percent of the poverty level, come from a family in which neither parent graduated from a baccalaureate program, or suffer a physical or learning disability. Those claiming disability need appropriate documentation, and 1/3 of the participants with physical disabilities must also be low-income.
With the renewed grant, the UW-Colleges’ TRIO program, which has enjoyed a 26-year run, will continue to be funded through 2012. Currently it serves 480 students at four sites – UW-Waukesha, UW-Rock County (Janesville), UW-Marathon County (Wausau), and UW-Baraboo/Sauk County’s Oxford Federal Correctional Facility College Program.
Martha Nelson, Watertown, directs the program on the UW-Waukesha campus, which serves 145 students, and coordinates the services and data for the entire UW Colleges’ grant-supported program. She is assisted by Kelli Thornton, Union Grove.
Nelson sees benefits to both individuals and communities. “Most of our students are relatively place-bound, and they end up contributing significantly to the local economy by building skills and educational attainment. We are changing people’s lives and contributing to the local tax base one person at a time. Education contributes to improved health and safety for communities, and many low-income, first generation students wouldn’t stay in college without programs like TRIO.”
Moreover, “TRIO contributes to campus environment and life at all four of our sites by enabling the campuses to hire some extremely qualified staff, who have training in both academics and diversity/student development,” she added. “At a time when resources are tight, TRIO provides an important diversity to the campuses it serves. About 60 percent of our TRIO employees are from first generation or low income backgrounds themselves, so we mirror the demographics of the program.”
In the 2003-2004 academic year, 87 percent of TRIO SSS participants stayed in school, 72 percent were in good academic standing, eight percent graduated, and 25 percent transferred to pursue their degrees.
The set of federal TRIO programs, named from its three original programs, began with the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, which created the Upward Bound Program. Talent Search resulted from the 1965 Higher Education Act, and Student Support Services was added in 1968, with the first Higher Education Reauthorization Act. The number increased later with the addition of the McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, Educational Opportunity Centers, SSS Disabilities Programs, and GEAR UP.
UW-Waukesha has the largest enrollment among the 13 UW Colleges campuses. For information on programs, admission, or financial aid, contact the Student Services office at (262) 521-5200 or visit the Web at waukesha.uwc.edu. |
