PELLA — Central College was awarded a TRIO Student Support Services grant of $352,531 annually, totaling $1,762,655 over the five-year grant period.

This grant funds programming to increase retention and graduation rates among low-income, first-generation college students and students with disabilities. Since 1973, SSS at Central has helped hundreds of students graduate and contribute to their communities and the broader economy.

“We are deeply grateful to receive this TRIO Student Support Services grant,” says Nancy Kroese, director of student support services. “This support ensures we can continue offering the individualized guidance and resources that have helped hundreds of Central students succeed in college and beyond.”

Central’s SSS program delivers individualized services — including academic tutoring, financial literacy education, scholarship guidance, career exploration, personal and academic counseling and mentoring — to help students overcome barriers to success. SSS at Central also offers three courses that equip students to succeed academically, socially and emotionally at Central and beyond.

National results show the SSS program works. A 2019 U.S. Department of Education evaluation found that SSS students at two-year colleges were 48% more likely to earn an associate degree or transfer to a four-year school. At four-year institutions, SSS students were 18% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree than similar peers outside the program. SSS is one of eight federal TRIO programs funded under the Higher Education Act of 1965, and Central proudly hosts three others — two Upward Bound programs and Talent Search.