Our Goals

The goal of the TRIO STEM program is to offer a myriad of support services to aid students in academic and social student success at Grand Valley State University (GVSU). Services provided include:

• Personal Advising
   
• Leadership Development
   
• Peer Mentoring
   
• Secondary Admission Assistance

• Career Development
   
• Financial Aid Counseling
   
• Financial Literacy
   
• Graduate School Counseling

• Supplemental Academic Advising
   
• Study Abroad Advising
   
• Study Skills Development
   
• Time Management Assistance

The TRIO programs were the first national college access and retention programs to address the serious social and cultural barriers to education in America. TRIO began as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty. The Educational Opportunity Act of 1964 established an experimental program known as Upward Bound. Then, in 1965, the Higher Education Act created Talent Search. Finally, another program, Special Services for Disadvantaged Students (later known as Student Support Services), was launched in 1968. Together, this “trio” of federally-funded programs encouraged access to higher education for low-income students. The original three programs have since grown to eight, adding Educational Opportunity Centers in 1972, Training Program for Federal TRIO programs in 1976, the Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program in 1986, Upward Bound Math/Science in 1990, and the TRIO Dissemination Partnership in 1998.