Ivy Tech Community College-Northeast’s TRiO Student Support Service (SSS) Program was just awarded continued grant funding of $1,192,480 through August 2015. The grant is provided from the Department of Education and is authorized in the Title IV, Part A, Subpart 2, Chapter 1, Section 402D of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. The college was recently notified of the grant renewal by the offices of Senator Evan Bayh and Senator Richard Lugar.

This is the first time the college has applied for renewal of the TRiO Student Support Services Grant. The competition for funding required a grant application that addressed the need for the program, objectives, plan of operation, institutional commitment, quality of personnel, budget, and an evaluation plan. The grant was written locally by Tim Ross, Director of the TRiO SSS program.

The Muncie and Indianapolis regions of Ivy Tech also received grants to continue existing programs.  Ivy Tech Northwest, in Gary, Ind., received a new award.

The purpose of the TRiO Student Support Service Program is to provide 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, first-generation college students and individuals with disabilities.

Ross stated, “While we offer our students a variety of services based upon their need as determined in several assessments, the primary things we provide to every student are motivation, encouragement, and assistance with finding solutions to problems. Many of our students encounter multiple stumbling blocks to their education. We assist with those so the student can remain focused on learning.”