UVA Wise Awarded $1.6 Million to Help Low Income, First Generation, and Students With Disabilities Succeed
The U.S. Department of Education announced that The University of Virginia’s College at Wise received a federal Student Support Services (SSS) grant totaling more than 1.6 million dollars over five years to help students succeed in and graduate from college. SSS has been at UVA Wise since 1973 and has served thousands of students.
SSS helps college students who are low income, first generation (those whose parents do not have a four-year college degree) or students with disabilities. The array of services the grant provides are comprehensive and include academic tutoring, financial aid advice, career and college mentoring, help in choosing courses, and other forms of assistance. Such services enhance academic success and make it more likely that students will graduate with the lowest possible debt. Many Student Support Services alumni have gone on to great success, among them Emmy, Tony and Academy-Award winning actress Viola Davis, U.S. Rep. Gwendolyn Moore of Wisconsin’s 4th District and Franklin Chang-Diaz, the first Hispanic astronaut.
SSS began in 1968 and is one of the eight federal “TRIO” programs authorized by the Higher Education Act to help college students succeed in higher education. It recognizes that students whose parents do not have a college degree have more difficulties navigating the complexity of decisions that college requires for success; it bolsters students from low income families who have not had the academic opportunities that their college peers have had, and helps students with disabilities remove obstacles preventing them from thriving academically.
Director Marcia Mitchell has seen firsthand the impact of the program. “I was a first generation, low-income student in college and what I would have given to have this program on my campus! Our staff relates to and understands our students’ challenges because we’ve been there. That motivates us to provide the services and support we know changes students’ lives for the better. SSS is an investment that yields great returns.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the systemic inequality and financial hardship which keep promising students from succeeding in college. Student Support Services is needed now more than ever,” said Maureen Hoyler. Hoyler is the president of the non-profit Council for Opportunity in Education in Washington, D.C., dedicated to furthering the expansion of college opportunities for low-income, first-generation students, and students with disabilities.
For more than 50 years, the Student Support Services program has made important contributions to individuals and society as a whole by providing a broad range of services to help students succeed. This vital program can and does make all the difference.