FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, February 28, 2022

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton TRIO programs will commemorate National TRIO Day today by delivering expressions of appreciation to school personnel and campus partners who have provided support.

The annual recognition notes the achievements of TRIO programs in helping first-generation and low-income students, veterans, and students with disabilities enter and graduate from college. National TRIO Day, created by a congressional resolution in 1986, is Feb. 26.

For more than 50 years TRIO programs have helped first-generation students and students from low-income families, veterans and students with disabilities enter and graduate from college. In 1986 a congressional resolution declared Feb. 26 National TRIO Day to note the achievements of the federal programs in communities across the country.

Tarleton State University has long endorsed college access for all students but especially the historically underserved in postsecondary education. The institution’s longest serving program to provide college access for underrepresented students is Upward Bound, established at Tarleton in 1980.

Today, Tarleton is home to three TRIO Programs — Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search and Student Support Services.

“Celebrating National TRIO Day is especially important this year,” said Jenny Watts, Executive Director of Tarleton’s TRIO programs. “Our students, educators and campus community have been resilient during the pandemic, and that resilience should be recognized.

“The TRIO community continues to provide college access to underrepresented students during these challenging times, and this work could not be done without the unwavering support of our partners.”

TRIO services include:

More than 1,000 colleges, universities and community agencies host more than 2,800 TRIO projects that serve more than 800,000 young people and adults. Thirty-four percent of TRIO students are white, followed by African-American 33 percent, Hispanic 21 percent, Asian-American or Pacific Islander 4 percent and American Indian 4 percent. One percent are listed as other, including multiracial students.

A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of nearly 17,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. True to Tarleton’s values of excellence, integrity and respect, academic programs emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.