$2.1 million in federal funding for Trocaire College from US Department of Education

Funding supports programs for underrepresented minority students

Congressman Brian Higgins announced a federal grant awarded to Trocaire College totaling $2,128,217 over five years; this year, the college will receive $444,966 in federal funding. Awarded by the U.S. Department of Education through the Strengthening Institutions Program, the grant will support initiatives for student retention and increasing graduation rates among minorities.

“Underrepresented minority students often disproportionately face barriers when working to complete a college degree,” Higgins SAID. “Critical funding from the U.S. Department of Education will help Trocaire provide underserved students with the programs and services they need to achieve their educational goals and leave school with a college diploma.”

Higgins’ team said, “Trocaire College recruits and serves a diverse, high-need student population. Despite multiyear efforts to foster student success, the college still faces the challenge of closing retention and graduation gaps among underrepresented students. Additionally, many transfer students enter with debt and leave without a degree.”

Trocaire College President Bassam M. Deeb, Ph.D., said, “We are extremely grateful to Congressman Higgins for his unwavering support of Trocaire College not only on our grant application, but on other issues that impact higher education, particularly as we begin to emerge from the pandemic. Now more than ever, we need to close the retention and graduation gaps for students so that they can graduate and gain meaningful employment sooner rather than later.”

The grant provides funding for the Trocaire College Active Response and Engagement System (TroCARES). The program will provide a comprehensive student support structure and work to bolster student success from enrollment to graduation. With three main goals, the program intends to close retention and graduation gaps between underrepresented minorities and white students, increase the number of transfers who graduate, and seize opportunities to build and coordinate student success.

“Student success is a hallmark of Trocaire’s mission and strategic plan,” said Kathleen Saunders, chief student affairs officer. “The Title III funding will allow the college to improve our systems and processes in a manner that will support student success from application through graduation.”

More specifically, Trocaire will utilize the funding to foster a shared philosophy for student success, purchase a student information system to be integrated with campus platforms, expand digital learning, provide student guidance through orientation and welcome back events, and enhance guided pathways for students to explore, choose, plan and complete their education in a timely, affordable way.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Strengthening Institutions Program provides grants to institutions of higher education to expand their capacity to service low-income students. It awards funding toward improving and strengthening academic quality, institutional management, establishing endowment funds, administration management, and the development and improvement of academic programs.

Founded in 1958 in Buffalo by the Sisters of Mercy, Trocaire College is a private, career-oriented Catholic college that strives to empower students toward personal enrichment, dignity and self-worth through education. Visit trocaire.edu for more information.