The U.S. Department of Education has awarded the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff a federal TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) grant totaling $511,480 for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Funds were awarded to improve college retention and graduation rates among low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities, according to a news release.
This award marks the continuation of TRIO SSS services on the UAPB campus. Since 1985, the program has served hundreds of students, helping them stay in school, earn degrees and build meaningful careers, according to the release.
“This grant award offers students an opportunity to gain new knowledge, enhance their learning, and excel academically,” said Andrea Stewart, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “It’s exciting to know that our students’ lives will be transformed.”
Through individualized services including academic tutoring, financial aid, scholarship guidance, career exploration, personal and academic counseling, and mentoring, TRIO SSS empowers students to overcome barriers to success.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“These comprehensive supports make it significantly more likely that students will complete their degree or successfully transfer, with the lowest possible debt,” according to the release.
SSS is one of eight federal TRIO programs funded under the Higher Education Act of 1965 to remove social, academic and cultural barriers to higher education.
“With this new funding, UAPB deepens its commitment to ensuring that all students — regardless of background — can thrive academically and personally,” said Donna M. Mooney, Student Support Services director and principal investigator. “Student Support Services helps level the playing field and equips our students with the tools and confidence to graduate and lead.”
According to a 2019 evaluation by the U.S. Department of Education, students in SSS at two-year institutions were 48% more likely to earn an associate degree or transfer to a four-year school. Students at four-year institutions were 18% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree compared with similar peers not in the program.
“TRIO programs generally and TRIO SSS, in particular, transform students from the least resourced backgrounds into college graduates,” said Kimberly Jones, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education in Washington, D.C. “This vital program makes all the difference for nearly a million students each year across the country.”
Since its inception in 1968, SSS has helped millions of low-income, first-generation students graduate from college and contribute to their communities and the economy. Notable alumni of the TRIO Student Support Services program include Michael Cashman, town supervisor of Plattsburgh, N.Y.; former NASA astronaut José Hernández; and Cheryl Johnson, 36th clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives.
For more information about TRIO Student Support Services at UAPB, visit www.uapb.edu or contact Donna Mooney at mooneyd@uapb.edu.