Student Support Services Renews Grant

Terri Philpott is very excited about the ways they'll be able to help students with the renewal of the grant. 
Photo by Jonathan Collins

Concord University’s Student Support Services has recently renewed their grant to continue functioning. It has been renewed until August 31, 2021. According to the official press release issued by the university, the grant equals roughly $300,000 per each year of the grant, coming to a total of slightly over $1.5 million.

“Student Support Services helps 200 students at Concord University,” said Academic Coordinator Beth Nelson, “However, that number is just for Concord alone. Many other colleges across the United States and its holdings have Student Support Services. Student Support Services is funded via the federal government, particularly the Department of Education. $270 million is given out across the 968 Student Support Service programs across the country and territories.” 

According to a report from the United States Department of Education, the colleges that receive are quite diverse in locations. Colleges from as far north as Anchorage, Alaska to as far south as San Juan, Puerto Rico, enjoy the benefits of the program and all strive to help their students accomplish their goals. 

“What the grant entails, in addition the money, is the focus and direction for our next five year period. Imagine, if you will, that our five year period is an extended journey,” said Terri Philpott, Director of Student Support Services and writer of the grant. “This grant that we have written would be the Google Maps or the GPS for the trip.”

When asked about what where the map would take the students involved in the Student Support Services program, Philpott described the goals for the next five years. “The grant basically gives us standardized goals and objectives to work towards. First, we want the students we help to be in good academic standing, which at Concord University means having at least an overall GPA of 2.0 or above. Second, we want the students we serve to continue to return, so retention plays a major part. Third, we want our students to graduate and either find successful jobs or to continue their education in pursuit of a Master’s Degree. Therefore, the graduation rate of the students we help is very important. These objectives are basically the same for all Student Support Service programs. This program was a product of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s war on poverty. As a result of that, you’ll often hear our program called TRiO. When Student Support Services began, there were three different programs, hence the title TRiO. Although there are a great deal more than those three programs now, they all still fall under the same umbrella,” she explained

Student Support Services is designed to help financially needy and first generation students find their way through college. According to Beth Nelson, they provide many services for students, such as peer mentoring, one-on-one tutoring, scholarships, academic, financial aid, and career counseling, cultural trips, ensuring students understand their degree requirements. As she was explaining this, there was a sudden burst of laughter coming from the next room. Nelson was quick to add, “Another thing we try to foster is a sense of belonging. We have a little more laid back, informal atmosphere compared to some of the other offices, so we might the place some students go when they truly need advice and are nervous about speaking to first when they need help with problems.”

In the follow-up, Philpott wished to stress that they can help students with graduate school. “I recently talked to a freshman here who is already looking at Master’s Degree programs. We can help any student in their search for funding. We even will take trips to other colleges to learn what options are available to them. A few years ago, we took some students on a three day visit to Tuft’s University, and they were able to learn firsthand what was available. Although we do not have the funding for such a trip. We remain committed to helping students find the funding they need to get to graduate school.”

Students wishing to use the Student Support Service are urged to call (304)-384-6088 for more information.