About 150 people attended the daylong activities, including TRIO representatives and students from Michigan State University, Lansing Community College, Hope College, Grand Rapids Community College, Aquinas College and GVSU.
Workshops for high school and college students and professional stafffilled the morning. Rev. George Heartwell gave the keynote address at 1:20 p.m., followed by student presentations and awards in the Alumni House & Visitors Center.
TRIO is an umbrella title for eight outreach and support programs that have the overall purpose of giving students the support and preparation they need to make higher education a goal, and then a reality. The target students are those who are at a disadvantage for attending or completing college because of family income or because their parents are not college graduates.
From the original three programs established in the 1960s, today's TRIO programs are in effect at 1200 colleges, universities and agencies throughout America. It is estimated that they serve 700,000 students between the ages of 11 and 27.
GVSU's five TRIO programs are funded entirely through federal grants, said GVSU TRIO Director Arnie Smith Alexander. They are:
- Upward Bound - targets students at Union and Central high schools
in Grand Rapids. Starts in 9th grade to help them prepare for
college and includes a six-week summer program at GVSU;
- Upward Bound Math/Science - targets students from the greater
Grand Rapids area and six surrounding states with a strong aptitude
for Math and Science;
- Student Support Services - continues support for the same target
population once they are in college;
- Talent Search - distributes information promoting higher education
to over 1000 area middle- and high-school students;
- McNair Scholars Program - helps students who meet the income criteria, are first-generation college graduates, or who are from a minority group under-represented in graduate programs pursue doctoral degrees.
Past National TRIO Day celebrations in Michigan have been held at one statewide location. Because of its size, however, three campuses - GVSU, Wayne State University in Detroit, and Finlandia University in the Upper Peninsula - hosted activities for their region on Thursday.
