GVSU delivers training series to empower country's TRIO professionals

June 10, 2025 (Volume 48, Number 19)

two rows of people standing in front of colorful backdrop in hallway

people seated at round tables with paperwork, bottles of water on tables

TRIO Priority 4 faculty and staff are pictured, back row from left, LuWanna Williams, Danny Velez, Cherryl Arnold, Michelle Rhodes and Edward Hill; front row from left, Jessica Saint Amour, B. Donta Truss, Nykia Gaines and Lauren Glynn.

Grand Valley staff joined colleagues from across the country in Puerto Rico in late May to host the second of four training workshops for TRIO personnel.

After receiving the TRIO Absolute Priority 4 Training Grant from the U.S. Department of Education, four workshops were planned to deliver high-impact training focused on student financial aid, admissions and financial/economic literacy.

Nykia Gaines, associate vice president for Federal TRIO programs, said the team will train more than 300 people when the workshops conclude. A Grand Rapids session is planned for June 12-13, coinciding with the Black Boys and Men National Symposium, and the last virtual session is planned for August 7-8.

“GVSU is uniquely positioned to lead this initiative because of our institutional commitment to equity and student support,” Gaines said. “This grant allows us to share expertise and elevate the impact of TRIO professionals working on the front lines of college access and persistence.”

The Priority 4 initiative is more than a training series. Gaines said it’s a national platform for knowledge-sharing, leadership and innovation in TRIO programming. “This is not just about compliance, it's about transformation,” she said. “We are equipping professionals to better serve first-generation, low-income and underrepresented students in meaningful, lasting ways.”

B. Donta Truss, vice president for Enrollment Development and Educational Outreach, said the university's leadership in this federal training effort reaffirms its longstanding commitment to educational access and student success, values that align with the university’s mission and vision.

“At GVSU, our division is grounded in the belief that access and student success are not just goals, they are promises we make and keep," Truss said. "Leading this division means creating pathways that uplift communities, empowering students and strengthening the professionals who support them. TRIO programs represent the very heart of that mission.”