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An aerial view of Appalachian State University’s Boone campus, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Photo by Marie Freeman

US Department of Education continues funding for App State’s Student Support Services

Grant project collaborators

Silver collaborated with the following App State team on the SSS grant proposal for the current five-year grant cycle:

  • Ronaka Adams, university program associate in the Student Learning Center.
  • Sheri Clawson, an administrative support specialist in App State’s Department of Biology and a former administrative support specialist in the Student Learning Center.
  • Carole Greene, assistant director of the SSS program.
  • Mady Fitzgerald, a First Year Seminar and rhetoric and composition instructor in the SSS program and an adviser for students in the SSS program.
  • Heather Langdon, executive director of institutional research, assessment and planning.
  • Heather Lippard, director of academic strategy instruction in the Student Learning Center.
  • Whitney Ward ’14, administrative support specialist in the Student Learning Center.
Edited by Lauren Hempen
Posted Feb. 25, 2021 at 12:17 p.m.

BOONE, N.C. — For nearly 50 years, Appalachian State University’s Student Support Services (SSS) program — part of App State’s University College — has provided comprehensive services that support first-generation and/or low-income students throughout their academic careers. The program’s mission to retain and graduate App State students is supported during the 2020–21 academic year by grant funding awarded by the U.S. Department of Education (ED).

The grantee, SSS Director Cathia Silver, received $338,780 in ED funding for 2020–21 — the first year of the program’s current grant cycle (2020–21 to 2024–25). The total expected funding for the five-year grant cycle is approximately $1.7 million.

According to Silver, the program’s funds are used also to provide students with academic and holistic support, specialized instruction and proactive advising, as well as a fully structured first-year experience that includes a mentoring program, professional development workshops, academic progress and planning sessions, and educational/cultural programming. This funding also includes $40,000 in scholarship aid for participants who receive the federal Pell Grant, with the average scholarship per student being around $650.

After identifying eligible students, the SSS program determines and works with students with the greatest need — approximately 200 students per year — who are supported from orientation through graduation. Of the students who were served by the program in the 2019–20 academic year, 54% were from diverse backgrounds.

The program’s Annual Federal Performance Report for the 2018–19 academic year revealed the following achievements of SSS participants:

  • 62.74% six-year graduation rate (SSS students enrolled in fall 2013 who graduated in spring/summer 2019).
  • 90% retention rate (SSS students enrolled in fall 2017 returning for fall 2018).
  • 97.14% good academic standing rate (as of the end of summer 2019).

Additionally, 97.5% of SSS students, including 94% of first-year students in the SSS program, finished the spring 2020 semester in good academic standing.

SSS is one of eight federally funded TRIO outreach and student services programs available at more than 3,000 program sites. The programs are designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.

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Grant project collaborators

Silver collaborated with the following App State team on the SSS grant proposal for the current five-year grant cycle:

  • Ronaka Adams, university program associate in the Student Learning Center.
  • Sheri Clawson, an administrative support specialist in App State’s Department of Biology and a former administrative support specialist in the Student Learning Center.
  • Carole Greene, assistant director of the SSS program.
  • Mady Fitzgerald, a First Year Seminar and rhetoric and composition instructor in the SSS program and an adviser for students in the SSS program.
  • Heather Langdon, executive director of institutional research, assessment and planning.
  • Heather Lippard, director of academic strategy instruction in the Student Learning Center.
  • Whitney Ward ’14, administrative support specialist in the Student Learning Center.
Appalachian receives continued support for Federal TRIO SSS program
Appalachian receives continued support for Federal TRIO SSS program
Dec. 18, 2018

The Federal TRIO Student Support Services program at Appalachian provides comprehensive services for about 200 first-generation and/or low-income students.

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About University College

Formed in 2007, University College consists of the university’s general education program, faculty and student support, and co-curricular programming and support – all designed to support the work of students both inside and outside the classroom. All students at Appalachian begin their education in University College and benefit from its programs until they graduate. Learn more at https://universitycollege.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

Grant project collaborators

Silver collaborated with the following App State team on the SSS grant proposal for the current five-year grant cycle:

  • Ronaka Adams, university program associate in the Student Learning Center.
  • Sheri Clawson, an administrative support specialist in App State’s Department of Biology and a former administrative support specialist in the Student Learning Center.
  • Carole Greene, assistant director of the SSS program.
  • Mady Fitzgerald, a First Year Seminar and rhetoric and composition instructor in the SSS program and an adviser for students in the SSS program.
  • Heather Langdon, executive director of institutional research, assessment and planning.
  • Heather Lippard, director of academic strategy instruction in the Student Learning Center.
  • Whitney Ward ’14, administrative support specialist in the Student Learning Center.
Appalachian receives continued support for Federal TRIO SSS program
Appalachian receives continued support for Federal TRIO SSS program
Dec. 18, 2018

The Federal TRIO Student Support Services program at Appalachian provides comprehensive services for about 200 first-generation and/or low-income students.

Read the story

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Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian

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Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
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