Nearly 70 TRIO professionals converged on Rogers State University’s Claremore campus for the Oklahoma Division of Student Assistance (ODSA) Fall Summit Oct. 25. Held in the Dr. Carolyn Taylor Center, the summit was a day-long gathering of experts working with student service programs from across the state, featuring informational discussions, guest speakers and providing resources for attendees.
Federally supported TRIO programs at colleges and universities are outreach and student support services programs designed to “identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds,” according to the U.S. Department of Education’s website. “TRIO includes eight programs targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs.”
Guest speakers for the Fall Summit included Jeana Rae Conn, RSU’s interim vice president for student affairs and director of student conduct and development; Josh Cantwell, chief operating officer for GRAND Mental Health; Dr. Michelle Taylor, director of RSU’s Master of Science in community counseling degree program; Kathryn Navarro, education specialist for the TRIO program’s Education Opportunity Center at RSU; and Roxanne Bilby, RSU’s drug prevention coordinator.
Event sponsors included Rogers State University, GRAND Mental Health, and Paradigm Shift.
RSU’s TRIO Program serves more than 4,500 students and residents of Oklahoma every year, offering academic guidance and counseling programs for pre-college students, information and assistance in applying for financial aid, instruction for skill enhancement, academic achievement and personal development, culturally and educationally enriching experiences for pre-college and college students, financial literacy workshops, and more.
For more information about RSU’s TRIO Program, contact Matthew Howard at 918-343-7575, by email at [email protected] or visit www.rsu.edu/trio.