I. Mission Statement
The TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) program at CSU, Chico is committed to increasing the rates of academic achievement, retention, and graduation among historically underrepresented students. This is accomplished by providing holistic and individualized support services that maximize students’ innate abilities and draw upon available resources within and outside of the University to benefit students, families, and the larger community.
II. Accomplishments - A highlight
- The TRIO SSS Director was successfully onboarded in December 2023, undergoing a week-long training provided by the EOSP Director. Training included understanding policies and procedures at Chico State and within EOSP. In addition, the TRIO Director met with various campus departments to learn about partnerships with SSS.
- With the support of Chico State Enterprises and EOSP’s Data Technology Specialist, the TRIO Director successfully re-wrote and submitted the TRIO SSS grant to the U.S. Department of Education. The grant renewal is important because it will allow for five more years of direct student support services at Chico State.
- The TRIO SSS Staff participated in a Spring 2024 Retreat where student staff shared program feedback and developed program goals and objectives for the upcoming semester.
- TRIO SSS continued its partnerships with the Financial Aid Office, Academic Advising Programs, Basic Needs and even expanded partnerships with the Accessibility Resource Center and McNair Scholars.
- TRIO SSS joined the Student Training Collaborative as committee members and supported the initiative of campus-wide training for student staff.
III. Program Statistics and Assessment for Past Year
35 TRIO SSS students graduated in the 2023-2024 academic year.
125 total students received direct TRIO SSS support in the 2023-2024 academic year. Services included one-on-one advising, personal and professional development workshops and study sessions to name a few.
24 TRIO SSS students participated in a virtual financial wellness seminar. This included topics such as budgeting, loans, mortgages and credit cards.
95% of TRIO SSS students were in good academic standing during the academic year. To ensure students were on good academic standing, TRIO SSS constantly ran progress reports and provided additional academic support where needed.
IV. Integrate Unit Objectives with Strategic Action Plan in 2024-25
Proudly Owning Who We Are
TRIO SSS will continue its involvement in the Student Training Collaborative to ensure student staff is fully equipped, knowledgeable and prepared to excel in their professional positions at Chico State while ensuring they are also provided with skills necessary to expand their professional horizons upon graduation.
Leveraging Our Strengths in What We Do
TRIO SSS will continue its efforts to promote and develop holistic opportunities beyond the academic setting through Community Building Events. CBE’s are opportunities for TRIO SSS to come together as a community and participate in non-academic activities such as creating vision boards, participating in mental health awareness workshops, learning new skills through art and more. CBE’s are specifically tailored to the interests and needs of the SSS student which are identified through student surveys and in-person feedback.
Advancing Our Influence by How We Do Our Work
TRIO SSS will continue with the Life After College Series developed for third year students and beyond. This series of workshops and professional development will consist of learning topics such as preparing for graduate school- from exploring graduate school programs to financing the program to understanding the application and admissions process. In addition, other topics will include preparing for the workforce after graduation- this includes preparing a strong resume and cover letter, interview etiquette and understanding a job offer along with benefits. The series will conclude with a graduate and career focused field trip to allow students to explore and expand on knowledge learned through the Life After College Series. Pre and post participant surveys will be conducted to further understand the needs of TRIO SSS students.