GALESBURG — Sandburg's TRIO Student Support Services program is gearing up to celebrate a quarter century at the college.
Sandburg TRIO SSS will host an event Feb. 24 in the Graham Health System Science & Technology Center Atrium to commemorate 25 years of supporting student success at the college. Check-in and social hour for the event starts at 5 p.m., and the program and dinner will take place at 6 p.m.
TRIO SSS is a federally funded program dedicated to giving eligible students — particularly those who are first-generation (neither parent has a bachelor’s degree), 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 first hosted a TRIO SSS program in1997. Last year, it was 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. The most recent grant cycle serves 140 students annually on the Galesburg campus and is worth more than $1.3 million.
The upcoming anniversary event will be held in conjunction with National TRIO Day. It will feature a buffet dinner provided by Innkeeper’s Coffee, a keynote speaker and presentations from Sandburg TRIO SSS alumni and current students highlighting how the program has shaped their lives. Tickets for the event are $20 per person. To register or for more information, visit sandburg.edu/celebrateTRIO.