Prairie State College Braces for Potential Federal Cuts to TRIO Student Support Program

Article Summary: Prairie State College leadership is developing contingency plans amid uncertainty over federal funding for its TRIO programs, which provide critical academic and personal support to first-generation, low-income, and disabled students. While hopeful the funding will remain, administrators told the Board of Trustees they are strategically preparing for a worst-case scenario to protect vital student services and staff.

TRIO Program Funding Key Points:

• College leaders are concerned that “executive orders” at the federal level could lead to funding cuts for TRIO and similar grant-based programs.

• The primary goal of the administration’s contingency planning is to avoid laying off employees who work with the programs.

• Administrators are exploring moving grant-funded positions to the college’s general fund (“hard dollars”) if necessary.

• Despite the uncertainty, program officers have indicated that TRIO funding renewals may be announced in May or June.

Prairie State College is preparing for potential federal funding cuts that could impact its TRIO Student Support Services, a program celebrated for its success in helping at-risk students thrive.

During the March 25 board meeting, Trustee Dr. Theresa McCoy-Carpenter asked the administration if the college’s financial committee anticipated changes resulting from recent federal “executive orders” and how it was preparing.

President Dr. Michael D. Anthony confirmed that the situation is “a moving target” and that the college is modeling different scenarios. He stressed that the top priority is protecting the college’s employees.

“Should a scenario play that funding gets cut for a particular program, what is our capacity to take those employees on as to our general fund?” Anthony said, outlining the administration’s thought process. “That’s not an easy choice to make… but the first priority to hope will be not to lose our employees because, quiet as it’s kept, the employees’ work is what matters.”

TRIO is a federally funded initiative designed to provide services that improve the retention and graduation rates of first-generation, low-income, and disabled college students. Anthony noted the program’s effectiveness, stating, “Our TRIO students tend to outperform native students who are not in the TRIO program because of the supports that are added.”

Dr. Bernard Little, Vice President of Student Affairs, added that while the situation is uncertain, there have been some positive developments. “We heard recently from one of our program officers that we might hear something about the renewal of our TRIO student support services grant in May or June,” Little said. “So, that gives us hope… that they’re still thinking of funding TRIO.”

Little explained that many federal program officers have been placed on administrative leave, making communication difficult. However, he praised the TRIO staff for remaining “strong and diligent” in serving students.

As a contingency, Little said the Division of Student Affairs is considering using “hard dollars” from its own budget to fund positions currently on hold. “That would help us to move some of those staff over in the event that we needed to,” he said. “It’s not an easy fix… but we just have to be thinking strategically about that.”