On Saturday, Tusculum University observed TRIO Day which is a national recognition of the efforts of federally funded programs at colleges and universities geared toward helping students attend and graduate from a higher education institution with a bachelor’s degree.
All of the programs are free for students. Tusculum offers seven TRIO programs, and the federal government has renewed each of their grants in the last couple of years for another five years.
The seven programs currently offered by Tusculum include Upward Bound, Talent Search, Student Support Services, Cocke County and Hawkins County Upward Bound, Talent Search-West, ARCHES, and Upward Bound Math and Science. The current annual amount of the grants for the programs is more than $2.35 million.
The programs are designed for students who would be the first in their family to earn a college degree or who meet financial eligibility requirements. The Student Support Services and ARCHES programs also serve students who have disabilities.
TRIO staff members in the Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math and Science, Cocke/Hawkins Upward Bound, Talent Search and Talent Search-West connect with students in area middle schools and high schools. They work individually with students in those schools, conduct a variety of activities and provide cultural and educational trips, all with the overarching goal of seeing the students attend a college of their choice and earn a degree.
One of the more well-known activities is the Upward Bound summer academy at Tusculum, which enables local students to live and attend special courses on campus for five weeks and then take a weeklong trip to places such as Boston and New Orleans. In 2021, Upward Bound Math and Science students rode a hot air balloon on campus and heard a lesson from Dr. Chuck Pearson, chair of Tusculum’s Natural Sciences Department, about fluids and what makes a hot air balloon rise.
Students who meet the criteria for SSS and ARCHES at Tusculum receive academic advising, financial literacy education, assistance with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, graduate school advising and counseling as well as tutoring. In addition, students can apply for additional scholarships and visits to learn about various graduate school programs.
The programs also offer cultural enrichment trips, including a recent one to Knoxville to see “Hamilton,” as well as banquets and lunch-and-learn activities. Furthermore, staff members provide valuable information to students to help them understand all elements of the university, such as what the Registrar’s Office does, and encourage them to keep going and complete their degree.
Forty-six percent of the students receiving a bachelor’s degree at the December Tusculum graduation were members of SSS or ARCHES.
More information about all TRIO programs is available at https://site.tusculum.edu/student-success/academic-affairs/first-gen/. Further information about the university is accessible at www.tusculum.edu.
