Student Services Program Review-Spring 2010 - Shasta College

Student Services Program ReviewTRiO Student Support Services (SSS)Reporting Director: Kathleen Mahar, Ed.D.General Program InformationStudent Support Services is one of three federally funded TRiO programs currentlyoffered at Shasta College. The other two TRiO programs, Upward Bound andEducational Talent Search, are pre-collegiate outreach programs focused on 6 th through12 th grade students. Student Support Services supports current community collegestudents whom have expressed transfer as their goal. All programs are authorizedunder the Higher Education and Opportunity Act and share the common goal ofincreasing educational options for low income and/or first generation college students.The Higher Education Act (HEA) was originally signed into law in 1965 to ensure thatpostsecondary education options were available to all students in the United States.The original act was the Johnson Administration’s attempt to remedy discriminatorypractices that had prevented low income students and student of color from enteringcollege and achieving their educational dreams. To achieve these goals, the HigherEducation Act allocated funds for programming that would increase financial aid options,help students complete high school and enter postsecondary education, increasefunding to institutions serving non-traditional students and, improve college teachingprograms for students seeking to teach in the K-12 system.The TRiO Programs gained prominence shortly after the original signing of the HigherEducation Act. The term TRiO actually refers to several different programs that servethose who are first generational college students and meet a low-income criteriaestablished by the US Department of Education. All TRiO programs are similar in thatthey provide tutoring, summer enrichment, financial aid awareness, enrollment supportand college tours for the students that participate in the program. Upward Bound (UB),which serves 9-12 grade students, began in 1964 and was first of the TRiO programs.Educational Talent Search (ETS), serving students from 6 th through 12 th grade wasadded in 1965, and the Student Support Services (SSS) Program, serving collegestudents, was added shortly thereafter. Together, these three programs were termedthe “TRiO” programs; although there are now a total of eight programs in the TRiO familywhich are all designed to encourage students from diverse, non-traditional backgroundsto pursue postsecondary education.All TRiO programs are governed by Title IV of the HEA. Title IV specifically authorizesstudent assistance and access programs that support students from low socio-economicbackgrounds, students with disabilities, first-generation college students and students ofcolor.Four decades after its creation, the Higher Education Act continues to define the rolethat the federal government plays in postsecondary education. Federal legislation statesthat the HEA must be reviewed and amended every seven years. The last renewal wasextended for several years but finally came to resolution in 2008 with a slight name- 324 -