Faculty, staff, and students across the Washington State University system will have an opportunity to hear from the American educator credited with developing the concept of first-generation students as part of the university’s National TRIO Day celebration on Feb. 24 at noon.
The virtual speech by Arnold Mitchem, president emeritus of the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE), is one of several activities planned to commemorate the creation of TRIO programs nationwide and the success of TRIO programs at WSU. The speech is titled “Rooted in Justice: Celebrating the Creation, Legacy, and Ongoing Impact of TRIO.”
TRIO programs are designed to help first-generation and low-income students begin and complete a post-secondary education. The first TRIO program, Upward Bound, was created from the Economic Opportunity Act in 1964, and others soon followed. During Mitchem’s 27-year tenure at COE, TRIO programs expanded exponentially; today, TRIO programs now serve more than 872,000 students at 1,200 colleges and universities nationwide.
Carrie Ben-Yisrael, director of Student Support Services on the Pullman campus, said WSU boasts one of the largest cadres of TRIO programs of any higher education institution in the nation: 18 programs systemwide, serving 2,795 students, with budgets totaling over $4.2 million in federal funding each year. The WSU programs include Student Support Services, Talent Search, Upward Bound, and the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program.
“We have a rich history of TRIO at WSU dating back over 20 years,” Ben-Yisrael said. “Our programs consistently provide students with compassion, stability, and hope as we work to build trust with them.”
Doing incredible things
WSU’s TRIO Celebration will begin on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at noon, with a virtual McNair Alumni Faculty Panel discussion. McNair became WSU’s first TRIO Program in 1999 and prepares undergraduates for future doctoral studies.
WSU McNair graduates Elise Boxer (‘02), Ciera Graham-Graves (‘08), and Magarita Magaña (‘11) will talk about their journeys at WSU, and how their experiences helped propel them into their careers.
Boxer is an assistant professor and coordinator of Native American Studies in Academic Affairs at the University of South Dakota. Magaña is STEM education assistant professor and director of undergraduate recruitment and retention in the College of Education at Heritage University. Graham-Graves is the director of College Access, Retention, and Engagement at Pierce College in Washington. She oversees three TRIO programs there.
“It is a joy to hear alumni talk about what the McNair program means to them and how it helped them be in a position to make the contributions to society they are making now,” said Raymond Herrera, associate dean of the WSU Graduate School and director of the McNair Program. “The things they are doing are incredible.”
Seeing their accomplishments is also a source of pride for faculty that mentored them at WSU.
“Had the McNair Program not connected me to Ciera, I would have missed an opportunity to help WSU graduates apply their sociological knowledge in the workplace, something I know Ciera is doing daily,” said Julie Kmec, chair and professor in the Department of Sociology.
Learn more about TRIO
Those interested in learning more about WSU TRIO programs can stop by the first floor of the CUB on Feb. 23 at noon, where TRIO staff will distribute peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to students. Staff will set up displays showcasing TRIO programs and be available to answer questions about their services.
“What I hope people will take away from the celebration is that there are ways we can all speak, act, and move in our professions, no matter what we do at WSU, that can make it easier to retain students,” Ben-Yisrael said. “What is good for TRIO students is good for all students.”
