NEWS

Keeping students in college who are at risk of dropping out

Bradley W. Parks
Staff Writer

ZANESVILLE – A federal grant awarded to Zane State College this month will fund a program focused on retaining students for five more years.

The United States Department of Education awarded a $220,000 grant, renewable for five years, to Zane State College and North Central State College to fund a student support services program called TRIO.

TRIO targets students considered to be at high risk of dropping out. This includes first-generation college students, students from low-income families, and students with disabilities.

"(TRIO) helps these students overcome some of the barriers, answer questions and stay in school," said Dr. Chad Brown, Zane State president.

TRIO offers services such as academic advising, tutoring, mentoring, financial aid advice and a specialized place to study.

The program also involves students in cultural activities, which attempt to take students to new places for experiences they may not have had. For example, TRIO took a group to Amish Country and another to the Dickens Victorian Village in Cambridge.

"It's really kind of eye-opening for some of our students," Brown said.

Brown said many of the problems high-risk students face stem from feeling disconnected from school.

College does not necessarily feel like the place for them. They may not feel as if they can succeed in college or that college will not get them to where they want to go.

TRIO seeks to connect students both academically and socially, so that they want to return to school after breaks. Ninety percent of Zane State's TRIO participants stay at the college, according to officials.

Kevin Hurst, director of TRIO student support services at Zane State, said the most important thing to him in making the TRIO program a success is developing trust with students.

"It's really, really hard working with this population, working with a student who doesn't trust you," Hurst said.

The program's staffers — there are four at Zane State — greet students each time they come in the office and ensure they know their students names to make them feel more welcome. Hurst said though these things may seem small, they go a long way in building trust.

"(Students are) so grateful to have a location to come get the services they need," Hurst said.

The ultimate goal of providing these services is to help students from the time of enrollment until they graduate. Zane State also offers transfer services to move students on to four-year colleges and universities.

Zane State's TRIO program is designed to serve a minimum of 140 students. It currently provides services to 143 students.

TRIO began at Zane State five years ago when the college received its inaugural grant. The new grant will allow the program to operate at Zane State for another five years.

TRIO has numerous programs for students starting in middle school all the way through graduate school.

bparks2@gannett.com

740-868-3732

Twitter: @Bradley_W_Parks

If you go

•What: Zane State Fall Registration Fest

•When: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6

•Where: Zane State Zanesville Campus, 1555 Newark Road

•FYI: Zane State's Fall Registration Fest will feature booths where prospective students can learn more about the college's offerings. TRIO will have a booth at the event.