TRIO-Student Support Services program at NICC receives five-year renewal

Friday, August 21, 2020

The federal TRIO-SSS program, which has been offered for qualifying students at NICC since 2001, promotes student development by providing opportunities to grow personally, socially and academically.

PEOSTA—The TRIO-Student Support Services (TRIO-SSS) program at Northeast Iowa Community College’s (NICC) Peosta campus and Dubuque Center has received a five-year renewal.

The federal TRIO-SSS program, which has been offered for qualifying students at NICC since 2001, promotes student development by providing opportunities to grow personally, socially and academically. Renewal of the program will award $275,105 to TRIO-SSS.

Students planning to graduate from NICC and transfer to a four-year college or university, and meet one or more of the following criteria, are encouraged to apply: first-generation college students, for whom neither parent graduated from a four-year college; federal Pell grant-eligible students; or students who have disabilities.

The TRIO-SSS organization at the Peosta campus serves approximately 160 participants each year and provides support services to its students including: academic tutoring, individualized academic advising, financial literacy education, financial aid counseling, transfer assistance, student success seminars, computer literacy information, career guidance and cultural enrichment.

Support services provided for students in the TRIO-SSS program have demonstrated positive retention and graduation and graduation/transfer outcomes. Outcomes included 84 percent, or 135 out of 161 students, persisting in their enrollment from fall 2018 to fall 2019, exceeding the grant’s goal of 60 percent; and from 2018-2019, 139 out of 161 students, or 87 percent, remained in good academic standing, exceeding the goal of 83 percent.

From the 2015-2016 cohort, 36 students out of 55, or 65 percent, graduated with an associate's degree or certificate from NICC. This exceeds the 40 percent objective. Finally, from the 2015-2016 cohort, 21 students out of 55, or 38 percent, graduated from NICC and transferred to a four-year institution, also exceeding the 18 percent objective.

For additional information, visit www.nicc.edu/trio.