The United States Department of Education has awarded Columbia College a renewal of its long-standing TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) grant, totaling $1.4 million over five years.
TRIO SSS works to improve college retention and graduation rates among low-income students, first-generation students and students with disabilities. Columbia College students have benefited from the TRIO SSS grant since the program was established on Columbia College’s main campus in 2001. More than 170 Columbia College students participated in the program during the 2024-25 academic year, and nearly 200 students have graduated within the last five-year grant cycle thanks to support from the TRIO SSS program.
“The renewal of this grant represents a powerful affirmation of our commitment to ensuring every student has the opportunity to succeed,” said Columbia College President Dr. David Russell. “We believe in the transformative power of education regardless of an individual’s background or life circumstance, and this support enables us to further our institution’s enduring mission with a renewed sense of purpose.”
Through individualized services including academic tutoring, peer mentoring, financial aid and scholarship guidance, career exploration, personal coaching and academic success strategy instruction, TRIO SSS empowers students to overcome barriers to success. These comprehensive services make it significantly more likely that students will complete their degree, in the least amount of time, with the lowest possible debt.
“This grant renewal provides us the opportunity to continue to work with a truly wonderful group of students as they strive toward their educational goals,” says TRIO SSS Director Kim Kinyon Coke ’19. “It is rewarding to watch them work extremely hard throughout their college experience and to be a small part of their success. We are exceptionally proud of our current participants as well as the many alumni who utilized our services and attained their goal of graduation.”
