UT’s Educational Advancement Program has received $1.6 million in Department of Education TRIO Student Support Services grant funding for the next five-year period.
The EAP is part of the federal TRIO programs—federal outreach and student services programs created by the Higher Education Act of 1965 “to help Americans overcome class and social barriers to higher education.” Student Support Services is the third TRIO program created, and UT received its first SSS competitive grant during the 1978-1979 grant cycle.
The Educational Advancement Program provides services for students with demonstrated academic need who are also first-generation college students or from low-income families, or who have physical or learning disabilities. The support services offered by EAP include small course sections in general math and chemistry as well as tutoring, academic coaching, and counseling. Students are further supported by cultural enrichment experiences, personal development, and assistance with graduate school preparations and study abroad opportunities.
During the past thirty-five years, roughly 3,500 students have participated in the Educational Advancement Program at UT. The thirty-fifth anniversary of the program was marked in December 2014 with an alumni reunion in Knoxville.
In 2013, the Educational Advancement Program debuted a Summer Research Institute. This institute promotes undergraduate research and encourages student participants to pursue research opportunities that broaden their understanding and creation of new ideas and concepts. Working with a faculty mentor, SRI participants gain skills and experience with preparing a literature review, examining research methods, and practicing technical writing.
As EAP looks forward to its next five-year grant period, it seeks to expand collaborations with the Tennessee Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, the Center for Career Development, and the Student Success Center. These collaborations will provide further opportunities for students to conduct and present research and focus on post-college career development, and also will provide fruitful partnerships for EAP administration.
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CONTACT:
Lili’a Neville (865-974-6271, lun@utk.edu)