Hinds CC’s Utica Campus receives TRIO grant of $1.7 million

UTICA, Miss. (VDN) — Hinds Community College has been awarded a $1.7 million U.S. Department of Education TRIO Student Support Services grant to improve college retention and graduation rates among low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities. Hinds’ TRIO program is based on the Utica campus.

This award marks the continuation of more than 25 years of TRIO Student Support Services at Utica. Since the late 1990s, the program has served thousands of students, helping them stay in school, earn degrees and build meaningful careers.

Through individualized services — including academic tutoring, financial aid and scholarship guidance, career exploration, personal and academic counseling, and mentoring — TRIO Student Support Services empowers students to overcome barriers to success. These comprehensive supports make it significantly more likely that students will complete a degree or successfully transfer, with the lowest possible debt, said Program Director Pamela Williams.

“This grant allows the Utica campus of Hinds Community College to deepen our commitment to ensuring that all students — regardless of background — can thrive academically and personally,” Williams said. “Student Support Services helps level the playing field and equips our students with the tools and confidence to graduate and lead.”

Nationally, the Student Support Services program has a proven track record. According to a 2019 evaluation by the U.S. Department of Education, students in SSS at two-year institutions were 48% more likely to earn an associate degree or transfer to a four-year school, and students at four-year institutions were 18% more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree compared to similar peers not in the program.

“TRIO programs generally, and TRIO SSS in particular, transform students from the least-resourced backgrounds into college graduates,” said Kimberly Jones, president of the Council for Opportunity in Education in Washington, D.C. “This vital program makes all the difference for nearly a million students each year across the country.”

SSS is one of eight federal TRIO programs funded under the Higher Education Act of 1965 to remove social, academic and cultural barriers to higher education. Since its inception in 1968, SSS has helped millions of low-income, first-generation students graduate from college and contribute to their communities and the economy.

For more information about TRIO Student Support Services at Hinds Community College’s Utica campus, contact Pamela Williams, SSS director, at 601-885-7045 or pfwilliams@hindscc.edu.