For Immediate Release
August 6, 2020

Suffolk Awarded Federal TRIO Grant to Aid Students

Suffolk County Community College has been awarded a $335,000 federal TRIO Student Support Services Grant that helps support 324 low income, first-generation and disabled students at the College – New York State’s largest community college. The grant’s funding runs through August 2025.

“This grant will focus critical resources on helping students and will clear a path for them to a college degree,” said Suffolk County Community College Interim President Louis Petrizzo. “The College was fortunate to secure this funding for our students and my thanks extend to our entire team for producing this award,” Petrizzo added. 

Suffolk County Community College’s Student Support Services program supports students by helping them identify their educational goals and learning needs and also provides individual academic and financial advising and tutoring, according to Lorianne Lueders-Yanotti, Suffolk County Community College’s Director of Student Support Services. Lueders-Yanotti said Suffolk’s program began in fall 1997 with 180 students.

Suffolk County Community College’s Student Support Services provides:

·         One-on-one assistance with academic needs

·         Academic Coaching

·         Instruction in basic study skills

·         Tutorial services

·         Assistance in applying for and maintaining financial aid eligibility

·         Information about career and transfer opportunities

·         Registration priority

·         Peer mentoring

·         Referral to campus resources

·         Workshops and Informational sessions 

Lueders-Yanotti said Suffolk’s past program successes helped secure the new federal funding for students. 

“Our grant application received a perfect score,” she said, adding, “and we had prior experience points for exceeding previous years’ objectives. A perfect score is something very few grants achieve.”

The Federal TRIO Programs (TRIO) are Federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO includes eight programs targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs. 

The Student Support Services (SSS) program—one of the federal TRIO programs—was authorized in 1968 by the Higher Education Act of 1965 with the goal to increase the postsecondary persistence and graduation rates of low-income students, first-generation college students (i.e., students whose parents have not received a bachelor’s degree), and students with disabilities.