Students Rely on TRiO Programs for Academic,
Motivational Support While They Are in College
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2/16/2005
CONTACT: ELAINE SCOTT-MATTISON, 646-1590
(By Lisa Garrett)
PENDLETON ---Laura King will be the first to tell you that she may
not have made it through the first semester of college without the
Student Support Services component of the TRiO programs at Tri-County
Technical College.
There are hundreds of thousands of students just like King throughout
the United States, who rely on Student Support Services and other TRiO
programs for academic and motivational support while they are in college.
Tri-County’s three TRiO programs, Upward Bound, Educational Talent
Search and Student Support Services, have provided academic and motivational
support to more than 20,000 first-generation (neither parent has a
bachelor's degree) and low income students in Anderson, Oconee and
Pickens counties since 1978.
National Trio Day, set for February 16, is a way to celebrate TriO's
accomplishments and to create a public awareness of the varied services
of the program, said Elaine Scott-Mattison, director of Tri-County's
TriO programs. Congress enacted National TRiO Day in 1986 to recognize
the achievements of the TRiO programs and their role in advancing equal
opportunity in post-secondary education. "These programs have
proven to be a decisive factor in the successful completion of higher
education for those in most need. In fact, since 1965, an estimated
2.2 million students have graduated from college with special assistance
and support of our nation’s TRiO programs," said Scott Mattison.
"We're the best kept secret in the nation," she added.
"Today I'm pursuing a lifelong dream of a career in nursing," said
King, a Pickens resident who was laid off in 2003 after a 17-year career
in the textile industry. As she began to assess her options, she initially
thought higher education was beyond her reach, both academically and
financially.
"Returning to school was scary," said King. "I thought
I was too old and had been out of school too long (almost 20 years).
I hadn't done algebra since I was in the 11th grade. I was terrified."
When talking about her struggles, a friend suggested she visit Tri-County's
Student Support Services office where should could inquire about tutoring
services. "That saved me," says King, who, today, is studying
phlebotomy at Tri-County and maintains a 3.5 GPA. She is on the waiting
list for the Practical Nursing curriculum and hopes to enter the one-year
program this fall.
"The program taught me how to study. Without the tutoring services
I received through Student Support Services, I would have given up." Thanks
to Workforce Investment Act funding, lottery tuition assistance and
the Bobby J. Randolph TriO programs scholarship, college became a reality."
There are a number of success stories just like Laura's, said Scott-Mattison.
Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search and Student Support Services
are designed to provide educational opportunities for all Americans
regardless of race, ethnic background or economic circumstances, said
Scott-Mattison. “TRiO has an enormous responsibility in providing supportive
services to students from the time they enter middle school until they
graduate from college,” she said.
Student Support Services’ (SSS) goal is to increase the college retention
and graduation rate of its participants and to help students make the
transition from one level of higher education to the next. More than
150 participants receive a myriad of services including tutoring, counseling
and supplemental instruction at the College through SSS.
Upward Bound (UB) provides fundamental support to participants in
their preparation for college entrance. The goal is to increase the
rate at which participants complete secondary education, enroll in
and graduate from post-secondary institutions. All UB programs must
provide instruction in math, laboratory science, composition/literature
and a foreign language. Tri-County's UB program serves 76 students
at 11 area high schools.
The Educational Talent Search (ETS) program purpose is to increase
the graduation and college entrance rates of youth from disadvantaged
backgrounds. ETS also serves high school dropouts by encouraging them
to re-enter the educational system and complete their education. The
College’s ETS program serves 650 students at six middle and 13 high
schools in the tri-county area. ETS strives to provide academic support
(tutoring in middle and high school), cultural exposure, college admissions
and financial aid assistance in understanding their educational opportunities.
"Day in and day out, we meet the academic, career, personal and
technological needs of low-income and first-generation students, said
Scott-Mattison. But, she added, the programs may be in peril, with
President Bush’s FY 06 budget proposing the elimination of Talent Search
and Upward Bound.
King says Student Support Services allowed her to pursue a lifelong
dream of a nursing career. "Everyone helps you. It’s been a wonderful
experience. Being laid off wasn't the end the world," she said.
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Oconee