CCRI awarded $4.6 Million in federal TRIO student support services grants
CCRI awarded $4.6 Million in federal TRIO student support services grants
September 21, 2020
The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) today announced that it has been awarded
three, five-year, federal TRIO Student Support Services grants from the U.S. Department
of Education totaling $4.6 million.
The grants will allow CCRI to provide enhanced academic and other support services
to approximately 540 low-income, first-generation students and/or college students
with disabilities to increase students’ retention and graduation rates; facilitate
their transfer from two- 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.
“We know that many of our first-generation and low-income students, as well as our
students with disabilities, face challenges from the first day they enter our college.
Our TRIO programs have proven to be a critical resource that provides students with
access to the programs and support services they need to be successful college students,”
said Meghan Hughes, Ph.D., president of CCRI.
CCRI’s TRIO Student Support Services programs, known as ACCESS to Opportunity, were
established 40 years ago and have supported thousands of first-generation and low-income
students in finding academic success by providing eligible students with a comprehensive
continuum of support. Services include a structured first-year experience; a project-specific
Student Success Seminar; in-depth, proactive academic advising; professional tutoring;
financial aid advising and application assistance; a financial literacy workshop series;
and ongoing transfer advising. Additional services include ongoing career development
– highlighted by workforce exploration – as well as civic engagement, and social integration
and cultural experiences.
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