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K-State Today

February 23, 2021

K-State TRIO programs celebrate National TRIO Day

Submitted by Cheryl Rauh

TRIO Works logo

Across the nation, federal TRIO programs will celebrate our work and our history on Saturday, Feb. 27. As part of this celebration, our K-State TRIO programs on the Manhattan and Polytechnic campuses will host a series of events to acknowledge TRIO students, services and community.

TRIO Day events on the Manhattan Campus

  • Feb. 22-26 — #McNairIsEverywhere campaign. Follow @KStateMcNair on Twitter to see miniature biographies of McNair Scholars, alumni and staff through the week. Learn about the diverse identities and affiliations of our McNair community.
  • Feb. 23-27 — #ESSsuccess campaign. Follow @ESS_KState on Twitter for tweets highlighting TRIO ESS students that have benefited from different services offered by Educational Supportive Services such as 1-1 Tutoring, Success Coaching, GRE Prep, FAFSA help, and Grant Aid Scholarships.
  • Feb. 27 — #ThanksfromMcNair video, expressing appreciation from McNair Scholars to essential workers. Follow @KStateMcNair on Twitter to watch the video. 
  • Feb. 27 — McNair Scholars TRIO Day Hike at the Konza Prairie.
  • Date Pending — TRIO students from ESS and McNair plan to engage in trash cleanup at local parks for our TRIO Day public service, but delayed scheduling for a warmer season.

TRIO Day events on the Polytechnic Campus

  • Feb. 1-5 — Upward Bound students completed blankets for the MLK Week of Service through HandsOn Kansas State.
  • Feb. 27 — Upward Bound is presenting Secret Agents of Kindness, a video from MOKANNE, our state chapter of the Educational Opportunity Association.
  • Feb. 22-26 — Upward Bound is preparing self-care packets to send to students for this event.

About TRIO

Federal TRIO programs are educational opportunity programs designed to get eligible students to and through college and on to future success. In the early 60s, the first three educational opportunity programs were established as part of the War on Poverty: Upward Bound; Educational Talent Search; and Student Support Services. These programs were designed to help income-limited students gain access to and achieve success in college. The programs were first labeled TRIO in the 1968 amendment of The Higher Education Act of 1965. The name stuck. TRIO now includes seven different programs that support broader demographic inclusion in higher education. The majority of TRIO-eligible individuals are income-limited and first-generation students, other population eligibility varies by program and may include veterans, individuals with disabilities, individuals from underrepresented groups, and working adults. An eighth program exists to support the professional development of TRIO staff.

There are two TRIO Programs on the Manhattan Campus, both directed by Kathleen Greene: Educational Supportive Services, a Student Support Services program supporting student persistence, and the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program, which prepares talented undergraduates for graduate study.

The Kansas State Polytechnic Campus hosts two programs: Upward Bound, a pre-college preparatory and transition program directed by Monshonda Booker; and Student Support Services, a college-student persistence support program, directed by Kathleen Greene.