Federal grant helps CWU Student Support Services continue its essential work

Ever since Student Support Services (SSS) was created by the federal government in 1968 as part of the TRIO grouping of programs, it has become a critical resource for college students who are low-income, first-generation and/or disabled.

If the program’s funding were to be discontinued for any reason, it would have a far-reaching impact on Central Washington University students and their families.

Due to sweeping changes at the U.S. Department of Education and the nature of discretionary grants, TRIO SSS funding for the upcoming five-year funding cycle was endangered. But thanks to a collaborative grant-writing effort between TRIO SSS staff and the division of Student Engagement and Success, CWU recently learned that the program has been fully funded for the next five years at $348,155 per year.

Director of TRIO Student Support Services Maria Sanders says the newly secured funds will go a long way toward making college more accessible to students who might otherwise have trouble navigating a complicated system.

“Any student who wants a college degree deserves to get that college degree, and the support that they need based on where they’re at,” she said. “Our job is to provide that support and help them reach their goals.”

While funding worries about the 2025-2026 year have been put to rest for now, Sanders knows that her program’s work, and that of its fellow TRIO programs like Upward Bound, Talent Search, and McNair, will remain crucial to first-generation student success across the country for many years to come.

“There is still a disparity in the number of first-generation college students earning degrees versus those who are not,” she said. “I think everyone can agree it’s vital to be able to pursue an education if that’s what you want to do, and the barriers to that are still very much there for the communities that we serve.

“We were of course thrilled when we learned that we would get to continue doing this important work,” she continued. “And while we don’t know what will happen over the next few years, the broad bipartisan support for our program has given us hope.”

Thanks to federal grant funding, TRIO SSS is able to offer a broad variety of services to the 225 students the program is funded to serve each year, providing daily advice and regularly scheduled workshops and events to enrollees.

“We provide holistic advising, workshops, trips, and so much more,” Sanders said. “We’re basically a place for students to turn to if they have questions, since one of the biggest challenges for first-generation students is typically figuring out where and how to get the answers they need. We always tell students to start with their TRIO advisor, and then if they don’t know, they will keep working with you to figure it out.”

With the future of the program now more assured, TRIO SSS is taking steps to ensure CWU students are aware of its services and how they can qualify.

“One of the things we hope to expand on is the deliberate inclusion of students who attend online or via one of our university centers,” Sanders said. “We serve many remote and online students, and we encourage them to apply if they are first-generation, low-income, and/or have a disability. We want to expand the availability of our online services, including workshops and events, to make sure they know that the TRIO community is for them, too.”

While the program’s participation is capped at 225 students annually, TRIO SSS accepts applications throughout the year to keep track of interest and fill any open spots that might materialize midway through the academic year.

“We’re always accepting applications, and we’re just trying to get the word out that we’re here and ready to help,” Sanders said. “Even if we’re full, it’s good for us to know who needs us so we can reach out if space becomes available. We’re dedicated to the students we serve, and we want to help them get where they want to go.”