GALESBURG — Sandburg’s TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) program has been awarded a new five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education worth more than $1.3 million to serve Sandburg students through the 2029-30 academic year.

TRIO SSS is part of a nationwide program dedicated to giving eligible students — particularly those who are first-generation, income-eligible or have disabilities — the support and resources they need to succeed academically and personally. Its central aim is to help these students graduate from Sandburg and smoothly transfer to a four-year college or university to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

Sandburg, which has hosted a TRIO SSS program since 1997, was one of 47 grant recipients from Illinois. TRIO programs are fully funded through grants from the Department of Education and must compete every five years for new funding. Sandburg was awarded one of 962 TRIO SSS grants from a pool of more than 1,700 applications nationwide.

Sandburg’s total award is worth $1,361,820 and will serve 140 students annually on the Galesburg campus. It will receive $272,364 per year and went into effect with the 2025-26 academic year.

During the grant cycle’s five years, Sandburg’s TRIO SSS program must meet performance objectives for graduation and transfer rates, students in good academic standing and student retention in the program. Sandburg TRIO SSS students exceeded these benchmarks in the most recent data set. In the 2023-24 academic year, 86% of participants were in good academic standing, surpassing the goal of 83%. Students also posted an 86% persistence rate (goal: 51%) and had a 64% graduation rate (goal: 40%). Even more impressive, 49% transferred with an associate degree in hand, more than doubling the program’s goal of 20%.

“We are excited for the opportunity this five-year grant gives us to continue to support our students,” said Stephen Descalzo, director of TRIO SSS at Sandburg. “Navigating the college system for the first time can be overwhelming for students and families not familiar with it. Many first-generation students experience self-doubt, feeling like they don’t belong or aren’t as prepared as their peers. This can lead to anxiety, isolation or reluctance to seek help — even when it’s available. TRIO SSS helps break down these barriers, alleviates the uncertainty and empowers students to take charge of their future.”

To be eligible for TRIO SSS, a student must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident enrolled in a transfer program at Sandburg and meet one or more of the following criteria: be a first-generation college student (neither parent has a bachelor’s degree), meet federal income guidelines, or have a documented physical or learning disability.

TRIO SSS is one of eight federal TRIO programs funded under the Higher Education Act of 1965 to help students overcome economic, social, academic and cultural barriers to higher education. Since its inception in 1968, TRIO SSS has helped millions of low-income, first-generation students graduate from college and contribute to their communities and the economy. Notable alumni of the TRIO Student Support Services program include actress Viola Davis; former NASA astronauts Franklin Chang-Diaz and José Hernández; and numerous educators, business leaders and public and elected officials. 

To learn more about Sandburg’s TRIO SSS program, visit sandburg.edu/TRIOSSS.