Zane State College receives grant for student support services from U.S. Department of Education

Zane State College has received a TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) grant from the US Department of Education in the amount of $272,364. The grant will provide funding for the college to improve and enhance the support services it provides to students with disabilities, students who are first-generation college students, and students who come from low-income backgrounds, with the goal of improving retention rates and overall student success.

According to an article on Zane State College’s website, Heather Merry, who serves as the college’s Chief Student Affairs Officer, was quoted as saying of the grant award, “This grant strengthens our ability to walk alongside students who often face the steepest challenges in higher education. It means we can continue offering personalized support that helps students persist, graduate, and step into meaningful careers. At Zane State, student success isn’t just about degrees—it’s about empowering individuals to realize their potential, and this funding helps make that possible.”

This round of funding has been provided for the 2025-2026 academic year, and any future federal funding will depend on program performance and congressional appropriations. The TRIO SSS program is a nationwide initiative seeking to improve retention and graduation rates among first-generation or low-income students and students with disabilities. The program has ultimately been successful, with a 2019 audit of the program demonstrating a 48% increase in likelihood that a participant in the program at a two-year community college would earn an associate degree or transfer to a four-year school.

The types of student services Zane State College offers through this program include academic tutoring, scholarship guidance, career exploration assistance, financial aid help, mentoring, personal counseling, and academic counseling.

Josh Eno, Director of TRIO Student Support Services at Zane State College, said, “In such a competitive grant cycle, we believe Zane State’s application was selected for funding because of the quality of the program and our proven track record of student success. We’ve consistently demonstrated strong retention and graduation outcomes, and our holistic, student-first approach shows measurable impact. Ultimately, the work of this program isn’t just degrees earned, but lives changed.”

For more information about Zane State College, visit the school’s website.