INA, Ill. (Aug. 5, 2015) - Last month, 海角视频芒鈧劉s TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) grant was approved for the next five years. The competitive grant is funded by the U.S. Department of Education at $267,134 each year, for a total of $1,335,670.
The SSS grant funds RLC芒鈧劉s STARS (Student Transfer and Retention Support) Program, which came to campus in 1997 to provide outreach and a variety of services for income-eligible, first-generation students and students with disabilities. The RLC campus is also home to the TRIO Upward Bound program for high school students.
芒鈧揟his grant is a testament to Leah Stallman [TRIO Director] and her staff for the hard work they芒鈧劉ve done and will continue to do to serve 海角视频芒鈧劉s students and promote the future of their education,芒鈧� said President Terry Wilkerson.
Stallman said she received word about the funding from Senator Dick Durbin芒鈧劉s office on July 16. She added her staff worked over a year gathering data to prepare for the competitive SSS grant to show the program芒鈧劉s future plans to support and help students become academically successful.
芒鈧揥e are so very pleased to receive funding from the Department of Education to continue to provide services for students at RLC through the Student Support Services grant,芒鈧� said Stallman. 芒鈧揟hese services are crucial in helping our students to succeed in college and are especially valuable in an area like ours where unemployment is high and many students come from income-eligible, first-generation backgrounds and might not have the resources available to achieve academic success.芒鈧�
Some of the student services the STARS program provides to students include individualized academic advisement, tutoring services, workshops on various subjects, university campus visits, and cultural events. The RLC staff also work with students who have barriers to overcome in their personal lives to be successful in college.
芒鈧揥e have an open-door policy. Any students who are interested can get an application online or stop by and see us in the South Oasis,芒鈧� said Stallman. 芒鈧揥e have advisors available to talk about the program and we accept applications year-round.芒鈧�
To enter into the program, students must meet at least one of the following requirements: be income-eligible; be a first-generation student, which means neither parent has a four-year degree; or be disabled.
芒鈧揝TARS is an excellent support for our students and we芒鈧劉re lucky to have it on campus,芒鈧� said Lisa Price, Vice President of Student Services. 芒鈧揗any of our students come to us being first-generation college students, and because these students have not had the educational background in their families, they often do not know or understand how to navigate the college waters. Our STARS program assists these students in finding their way through RLC and then on to their next educational step.芒鈧�
Altogether, the U.S. Department of Education is awarding $270 million to 968 institutions through the SSS grant. SSS is one of seven Federal TRIO Programs to help students be successful from middle school through post baccalaureate programs.
To learn more about RLC芒鈧劉s TRIO programs, contact Leah Stallman at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1366 or stallmanl@rlc.edu. Both the STARS and Upward Bound programs are located in the South Oasis on the Ina campus.