ECC gets $3.8 million five-year grant to offer continued support for underrepresented students

Two U.S. Department of Education grants will keep Elgin Community College's TRiO Student Support Services and Student Support Services/English as a Second Language programs funded for another five years.

The two grants total $3.8 million in funding.

Part of the college's federal TRiO program, these services specifically assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities as they progress through the academic pipeline from middle school through postsecondary programs.

ECC's Student Support Services program has been funded by the U.S. Department of Education for more than 35 years, and the Student Support Services/English as a Second Language program has been funded for more than ten years.

The Student Support Services programs assist traditionally underrepresented students who are the first in their families to attend college and offer tutoring and other academic, financial literacy, and career development support for students, including those who are second language learners.

"We're very excited about the renewal of these grants. It demonstrates the confidence the U.S. Department of Education continues to have in ECC to provide these services for our students," says Bruce Austin, Ed. D., associate dean of TRiO Programs.

Austin says this allows the Student Support Services program to serve 365 students and the Student Support Services/English as a Second Language program to serve 140 students each year.

In addition to the Student Support Services program, ECC's TRiO offers two Upward Bound programs, a college-prep program for high school students who are potential first-generation college students or low-income, and a Talent Search Transitions program, which provides academic, career, and financial counseling to middle to high school students to help them graduate from high school and continue onto postsecondary education.

For more information about the TRiO programs, visit elgin.edu/trio or call (847) 214-6959.