University News

A $1.1 million Student Support Services federal grant will help University of Memphis students overcome social, class, and cultural barriers to completing a higher education. The 5-year grant from the Department of Education is one of the federal programs known collectively as "TRIO programs." Student Support Services (SSS) focuses on low-income students, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities.

SSS grants are typically awarded for four years, but the top 10 percent of applicants receive a bonus fifth year, as is the case with the University of Memphis. This is the U of M's first time to apply to this program.

Research has demonstrated that without personalized assistance, TRIO-eligible students have lower college graduation rates than other students. The purpose of Student Support Services is to increase the retention and graduation rates of eligible students and foster university climates that support the success of these students.

At the U of M, the grant will provide qualifying students with personal mentoring and advising, additional tutors, career counseling and planning, exposure to cultural events, a special orientation to campus in their first year, and financial aid to reduce – and, where possible, eliminate – their reliance on loans to finance their education.

"The federal grant, along with a myriad of institutional commitments, will allow us to add Student Support Services to a complement of other successful U of M programs such as Educational Support Programs, the Center for Academic Transition and the Academic Status and Retention office," said Dr. Yolanda Harper-Ray, assistant vice president for student development and co-author of the federal grant proposal. "We will be able to hire additional staff to work directly with students and give them individualized attention at a level that previously was not possible. I'm excited about having this opportunity on our campus."

To administer the program, the U of M will develop a new office consisting of a director, two counselors, tutors, administrative staff, and student assistants. The program will serve 160 students.

"From the very beginning, the entire executive staff, including President Shirley Raines, Provost Ralph Faudree, and all of the vice presidents, have been supportive of this initiative," said Harper-Ray. "It has been said that ‘It takes a community to graduate a student,' and it is a delight to be a part of an academic community of staff, faculty, students, and administrators who so willingly work together toward the continued success of our students."

The U of M joins approximately 936 other colleges and universities nationwide as a Student Support Services grant recipient.

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