LEWISTON, Idaho – Lewis-Clark State College has received an anonymous donation of $107,000 to help sustain parts of the TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) program for the next year, Andy Hanson, LC State vice president for Student Affairs, has announced.
Earlier in August, the college received notification from the United States Department of Education that its TRIO federal grant renewal application was not supported. As a result, the TRIO SSS program, which has been at the college for 32 years and served approximately 165 students last year, will be discontinued starting on Tuesday.
After hearing about how successful the TRIO program has been at the college in helping students who are first generation, low-income, and/or with disabilities, the donor contacted LC State administrators and made a $107,000 contribution to be used in the next year. The only stipulation was that the donor wanted to remain anonymous.
The SSS program has fit well with the college because around 75 percent of LC State’s student body are first generation college students first generation students made up 65 percent of the fall 2019 honor roll. Hanson said LC State’s TRIO students have higher retention and graduation rates than the college’s overall averages because of the approach the program takes in advising and instructing.
“TRIO serves as an example and benchmark on how it’s done right,” Hanson said. “It’s a very successful program that involves lots of students, builds skills and confidence, and produces outcomes.”
The donation will be used in three areas, Hanson said. The funds will be used to retain an academic coach, support a tutoring center, and provide additional financial assistance to the students who were enrolled in the SSS Program.
“It’s wonderful,” Hanson said of the donation. “The donor in particular cares about student access to higher education and student success. It’s a very generous gift.”
The earliest the college can apply again for the TRIO grant funding is 2025.