Luther College is receiving a $1.7 million federal TRIO grant

Posted: Mon, Aug 31, 2020 9:36 AM

(Pictured L-R): Luther staff members Jennifer Folstad, Tammy Hove, Chivonne Marlow, Cheryl Wieseler and Heather Cote

Luther College has been awarded a 5-year federal grant for its TRIO Achievement Program. TRIO is a federally-funded student retention program that provides programs to low-income and/or first generation students.

The college will receive more than $330,000 during the first year of the grant, which begins Tuesday, with the total 5-year amount projected at approximately $1.7 million. Every 5 years TRIO programs across the country compete nationally for continued funding. Program evaluation and funding are based on retention and graduation rates of participating students. The persistence rate among Luther students participating in TRIO has exceeded 90 percent every year over the last decade. The program currently serves more than 180 students, including 50 students entering Luther this fall.

New TRIO students are paired with a staff advisor and invited to enroll in a first-semester course, Foundations for Learning and Development, that sets the stage for the Luther experience and helps them get off to a strong start. Participants also benefit from peer tutoring and mentoring, textbook and technology lending programs, financial wellness coaching, TRIO grants and scholarships, as well as additional activities that are free to participants.

Luther College has sponsored a TRIO program since 1973.