TRiO Student Support Services

About TRiO

TRiO Student Support Services (SSS) is a federally funded program designed to increase the college retention and graduation rates of students with disabilities and facilitate their process of transition from one level of higher education to the next. The TRiO Program is hosted by the Disability Resource Center and was established in 1977. The TRiO staff and the Disability Resource Center staff form a network of student affairs professionals that work hand-in-hand to serve students by providing services, opportunities and resources that enhance personal skills and develop academic excellence.

TRiO programs were created under the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 and expanded in following years by other acts and amendments (1965, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1986, 1990, 1998) to provide postsecondary educational opportunities to disadvantaged students from middle school through post-baccalaureate degree programs. Currently there are over 2300 TRiO grant programs in operation. The Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) and the Western Association of Educational Opportunity Personnel (WESTOP) are non-profit organizations that are dedicated to advancing and defending equal educational opportunities in postsecondary education created by TRiO programs. COE and WESTOP work closely with legislators to insure these educational opportunities continue to exist.