The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Neumann University a grant of $1.3 million to fund a Student Support Services (SSS) program.

SSS will provide academic and other support services to low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities.

The purpose of the grant is to increase retention and graduation rates and foster an institutional climate supportive of the success of these students.

Neumann has received federal funding for this program since 2010 and has used the grants to support 497 students in their pursuit of a college degree in the last decade.

The SSS services include one-on-one academic coaching; assistance with course selection; the possibility of earning grant aid; financial literacy and financial aid counseling; individual tutoring in math; career and internship counseling; assistance with resumes and all related career documents; and graduate/professional school counseling.

“We build strong relationships with our TRIO/SSS students and provide individualized services to motivate them to stay at Neumann, remain in good academic standing, and graduate,” explains Kristin Golden, the university’s program director. “We are thrilled to have been refunded; the continuation of TRIO/SSS services will benefit our students tremendously.”

The grant began on Sept. 1, 2020, and will be distributed during the next five years (approximately $261,888 per year). Neumann also received DOE funding for this program in 2010 and 2015.

SSS began in 1968 and is one of the eight federal “TRIO” programs authorized by the Higher Education Act to help college students succeed in higher education.

It recognizes that students whose parents do not have a college degree have more difficulties navigating the complexity of decisions that college requires for success.

It bolsters students from low income families who have not had the academic opportunities that their college peers have had and helps students with disabilities remove obstacles that prevent them from thriving academically.

More than 1,000 American colleges and universities offer TRIO/SSS programs.

Through a grant competition, DOE funds are awarded to institutions of higher education to provide opportunities for academic development, assist students with basic college requirements, and to motivate students toward the successful completion of their post-secondary education.