Calvin University receives grant from US Department of Education for TRIO Student Support Services
The grant is intended to increase retention and graduation rates among the students served by Student Support Services, which includes first-generation students, low-income students, and students with disabilities.
Calvin University has received a grant from the US Department of Education in the amount of $1,167,000. The grant funding will support the university’s TRIO Student Support Services program, which the university began offering in September 2020. This grant cycle will run for the next five years, providing the program with $223,400 annually, and the ability to serve 120 students.
According to an article on Calvin University’s website, Laura Rodeheaver-Van Gelder, who serves as the assistant director of the university’s TRIO Student Support Services, was quoted as saying of the program, “TRIO Student Support Services helps level the playing field and equips our students with the tools and confidence to graduate and lead. This grant allows Calvin to deepen our commitment to ensuring that all students—regardless of background—can thrive academically and personally.”
Between 2020 and 2025, the first grant cycle, Calvin University served more than 200 students in the TRIO Student Support Services program. This number includes the students that were served through the university’s Calvin Prison Initiative at Handlon Correctional Facility. Among the services the university offers its students via TRIO SSS are academic advising, mentoring, career exploration opportunities, personal counseling, and financial aid and scholarship guidance.
Kimberly Jones, who is the president of the Council for Opportunity in Education in Washington, D.C., said of the federally funded TRIO SSS programs, “TRIO programs generally and TRIO SSS, in particular, transform students from the least resourced backgrounds into college graduates. This vital program makes all the difference for nearly a million students each year across the country.”
For more information about Calvin University, visit the school’s website.