The Student Support Services (SSS) program received word last week that it will receive a five-year, $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to continue offering support services to students who are the first generation in their families to attend college, are low–income or have a disability. The grant is effective Sept. 1, 2010.

SSS, one of five federal TRIO programs the DOE funds, is designed to help students overcome social and cultural barriers to higher education.

The program has been operating at Metro State for 33 years, led during most of that time by Pat Trotman, who retired in December after 22 years. Trotman stayed on in an interim capacity after her retirement to ensure continuity of the program.

“Pat facilitated and led the grant renewal application process to ensure that students would continue to be served long after she retired,” said Associate Vice President of Enrollment Services Judi Diaz Bonacquisti. “That exemplifies the type of commitment that Metro State has to our Student Support Services students and how we believe in their education and success.”

The stated mission of SSS is to increase the retention and graduation rates of its students and to foster a supportive institutional climate for them. SSS offers the following services to students in the program: academic advising, tutoring, financial aid application assistance, career guidance, personal counseling, time management and organization skills training, financial literacy, and help with graduate school planning.

“The grant supports our ability to provide the kinds of services that help these students stay in school and graduate,” said Vice President for Student Services Kathleen MacKay. “Ultimately, it supports Metro State’s mission.”

Interim Director of Student Support Services David Luker says the renewal grant reaffirms that “the education of all students, regardless of their social, economic or disability status, is an important cornerstone of society.”