Cheyney University News September 11, 2015 Cheyney University Receives TRIO Student Support Services Grant Cheyney University of Pennsylvania has received a five-year TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) grant totaling $1.1 million from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant will be used to provide programs and services that address retention, GPA and graduation rates among 140 low income first-generation students. Interim President Dr. Frank F. Pogue announced the grant, stating, "This award is a validation of our unique 178-year history of providing access, opportunity and excellence for students of color who were socio-economically excluded or marginalized from higher education in America." According to Dr. J. Michael Harpe, Interim Vice President for Student Affairs and Leadership Development, "Cheyney University was able to clearly demonstrate the need for a Student Support Services grant given the fact that 70% of our undergraduate students meet the eligibility requirements for SSS participation." Dr. Cherita Weatherspoon, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, is the Project Director and lead author of the grant. She explained that, "Cheyney plans to provide purposeful, intrusive, proactive and individualized services including methods to identify, select and retain program participants, assess participant needs, monitor participant progress, and implement a wide-range of outcomes-based services. The plan utilizes strategies focused on the development of non-cognitive skills and the use of individualized counseling." "Cheyney's Student Support Services grant will engage all areas of the University devoted to student academic and personal success including the offices of Enrollment Management and Career & Professional Development, the Academic Success Center and the Counseling Center," explained Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. "We are delighted to offer Student Support Services grant-funded activities as an added value to attending Cheyney University," remarked Dr. Jonathan Graham, Interim Vice President for University Advancement and External Relations. "The fact that Cheyney University was the only new awardee in Pennsylvania makes us especially proud and fuels our dedication to serving students through this grant for the next five years." The TRIO program was founded as part of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. This is the first TRIO grant awarded to Cheyney University. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.