The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Normandale Community College a federal TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) grant totaling $274,364 to improve college retention and graduation rates among low-income, first-generation students, and students with disabilities.
This award marks the continuation of 10 years of TRIO SSS services on Normandale’s campus. Since 2015, the program has served over 800 students, helping them stay in school, earn degrees, transfer to four-year institutions, and build meaningful careers. Of those students, over 350 have graduated and/or transferred to a four-year institution.
“I am a first-gen student, who came from a low-income background, and I have a disability,” said Normandale Community College TRIO alumnus and graduate Alex Elbaz. “With the phenomenal support I received from TRIO, they helped show me that no matter who I was or where I came from, I could achieve great things. I wouldn’t have thrived at Normandale as much as I have if it weren’t for TRIO.”
Through individualized services including financial aid and financial literacy, scholarship guidance, career exploration, personal and academic counseling, and mentoring, TRIO SSS empowers students to overcome barriers to success. These comprehensive supports make it significantly more likely that students will complete their degree or successfully transfer, with the lowest possible debt.”
“This grant allows Normandale Community College to deepen our commitment to ensuring that all students—regardless of background—can thrive academically and personally,” said Normandale Director of TRIO Student Support Services Alyson Olson. “Student Support Services helps level the playing field and equips our students with the tools and confidence to graduate and lead.”
Nationally, the SSS program has a proven track record. According to a rigorous 2019 evaluation by the U.S. Department of Education, students in SSS at two-year institutions were 48% more likely to earn an associate’s degree or transfer to a four-year school, and students at four-year institutions were 18% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree compared to similar peers not in the program.
“TRIO programs generally and TRIO SSS, in particular, transforms students from the least resourced backgrounds into college graduates,” said Kimberly Jones, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education in Washington, D.C. “This vital program makes all the difference for nearly a million students each year across the country.”
SSS is one of eight federal TRIO programs funded under the Higher Education Act of 1965 to remove social, academic, and cultural barriers to higher education. Since its inception in 1968, SSS has helped millions of low-income, first-generation students graduate from college and contribute to their communities and the economy. Notable alumni of the TRIO Student Support Services program include Michael Cashman, Town Supervisor of Plattsburgh, NY; former NASA astronaut José Hernández; and Cheryl Johnson, 36th Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives.
“The TRIO SSS program plays such an important role in supporting student success at Normandale,” said Normandale Community College Vice President Dara Hagen. “We take great pride in the resources and support the program has provided for students from every background, both inside and outside of the classroom. There are so many alumni success stories through this program, and it is vital resource to our college to help students to reach their goals and dreams.”
For more information about TRIO Student Support Services at Normandale visit normandale.edu/trio-sss or contract SSS Director Alyson Olson at alyson.olson@normandale.edu.
About Normandale
Normandale Community College, located in Bloomington, Minn. off highways 35W, 100 and 494, is the largest two-year college with over 14,000 enrolled students. Normandale offers over 70 degrees and certificates with a mission of cultivating a welcoming community, fostering every student’s talent and building an equitable world.
About the Federal TRIO Programs
TRIO programs (Talent Search, Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math-Science, Veterans Upward Bound, Student Support Services, Educational Opportunity Centers, and the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program) help students overcome academic, economic, and social barriers to higher education. TRIO services include assistance in choosing a college and tutoring; personal, financial, and career counseling; assistance in applying to college; workplace and college visits; special instruction in reading, writing, study skills, and mathematics; assistance in applying for financial aid; and academic assistance in high school or assistance to reenter high school or college.
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