Thomas College announces it has been awarded its third TRIO Student Support Services grant. This grant will support the success, retention, and graduation of first-generation students, students from low-income families, and/or students with identified disabilities.
The grant provides the College with $1.3 million over five years to serve up to 140 students each year, from entering students through their senior year. The grant is funded through the US Department of Education TRIO programs. Thomas College first received a TRIO grant in 2015 and its second in 2020.
“We are so proud to receive another TRIO grant and have the ability to serve our students in this way,” said Thomas College President Jeannine Diddle Uzzi. “Thomas College is known for its wrap-around support and TRIO is a great example of how we help our students thrive during their time here.”
The grant will ensure that participants continue to receive the individualized support that they appreciate from dedicated TRIO staff. These efforts are in keeping with Thomas College’s commitment to high-quality student support, which includes its nationally certified peer tutoring program and academic coaching for all undergraduate students.
“I truly believe that, after working in Higher Education for over twelve years, TRIO is the most powerful program I have had the privilege to serve. The ability to work one-on-one with students and experience their growth while at Thomas is something that is just inherently magical,” said Thomas College Director of TRIO SSS Lexie Hinners-Mucci. “From the addition of Peer Advocates to embedding career-ready and community-engagement skills into our annual services and program offerings, we took special care to address the unique needs of our students and leverage our strengths as an institution to write a TRIO grant that would not only support our TRIO students while on campus but ensure a supportive transition to Thomas and the tools for success upon graduation. We are extremely grateful to continue to work with and build lasting connections with our outstanding TRIO participants.”
“TRIO has always been such an important part of my college experience. It has always been more than just a program to me; it has been a place where I’ve found support, encouragement, advice, and people who genuinely want to see me succeed. TRIO has been there for me through so many different moments, and I’ve always known that I have people in my corner who I can count on. Now, as a TRIO Peer Advocate, I have the opportunity to give new students the same support and encouragement that I have received. I’m grateful to be able to be there for others, help them navigate their college experience, and show them that they have a community of people who want to see them succeed,” said Helen Duff-Hebert, current TRIO participant.
The TRIO program at Thomas College provides intentional and intrusive academic and success coaching for participants beyond that of our other student success academic coaches focused on academic, financial and personal success; supports engagement for all participation with our Guaranteed Job Program and career-preparation; and provides co-curricular programming to support leadership, community service, and professional development.
Some new highlights of this program will include:
- TRIO Peer Advocates who will serve as student leaders to provide 1:1 support for first-year TRIO students as they transition to college. In addition, they will design programming focusing on academic success, financial literacy, career exploration, wellness, and leadership.
- Service-Learning Course designed to engage participating TRIO students in an exploration of leadership as a dynamic process to identify their individual leadership styles, cultivate necessary skills, and effectively contribute to community advancement. A key component of the course involves students developing and executing a service-learning project, which serves as an alternative spring break initiative.
- Development of a robust e-portfolio highlighting academic achievements and career-focused skills and micro-credentialing for all TRIO participants
- Intentional recruitment of TRIO-eligible students in partnership with our Admissions Department and TRIO programs across New England
To learn more about the program, please visit the program website or reach out to the Director of TRIO SSS, Lexie Hinners-Mucci, [email protected] or 207-859-1169.