ECSU Awarded $1.8 Million Grant to Aid Student Success for Income Eligible First Generation Students

The U.S. Department of Education announced that Elizabeth City State University has been awarded a federal TRiO Student Support Services grant of $1,849,045.00 to aid student success efforts on campus. 

ECSU has received this grant since the early 1970s and has assisted more than 1,167 students to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. 

“This grant helps students who are income eligible, and first-generation students or students with disabilities,” said Quay Dozier, director of ECSU’s TRiO programs. “This program has benefited so many students and thanks to this grant, we will continue in that effort, giving Vikings a shot at a bright future.” 

The services provided through this grant, extended over a five-year period, are significant to the success of the students, says Ms. Dozier. The services include academic tutoring, financial aid advice, career and college mentoring, help in choosing courses, financial literacy, and other forms of assistance. 

“These services enhance academic success and make it more likely that students will graduate with the lowest possible debt,” said Ms. Dozier. 

According to Student Support Services, many of the program’s alumni have gone on to great success, including Emmy, Tony and Academy-Award winning actress Viola Davis, U.S. Rep. Gwendolyn Moore of Wisconsin and Franklin Chang-Diaz, the first Hispanic astronaut. 

TRiO Student Support Services began in 1968 and is one-of-eight federal TRiO programs authorized by the Higher Education Act to help college students succeed in higher education. It recognizes that students whose parents do not have a college degree have more difficulties navigating the complexity of decisions that college requires for success. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the systemic inequality and financial hardship which keep promising students from succeeding in college. Student Support Services is needed now more than ever,” said Maureen Hoyler, president of the non-profit Council for Opportunity in Education based in Washington, D.C. 

Ms. Hoyler says the program is designed to aid students from income eligible families who have not had the same academic opportunities as their peers and helps students with disabilities remove obstacles preventing them from thriving academically.