GENESEO – SUNY Geneseo will receive more than $250,000 in federal funds over five years for student support services.
The money, from the U.S. Department of Education’s Student Support Services Program, will provide “opportunities for academic development, assist students with basic college requirements, and to motivate students toward the successful completion of their postsecondary education.”
A total of 37 New York colleges were awarded nearly $12 million.
SUNY Geneseo is to receive $261,888. Its funding is being channeled through Research Foundation for SUNY.
The five-year grants were announced by Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.
The grants will provide academic and other support services to low-income and first-generation, or disabled college students to increase students’ retention and graduation rates, and facilitate their transfer from two-year to four-year colleges. The funds will allow schools to expand programs focusing on financial literacy, career counseling, peer mentoring and tutoring, among other efforts.
“We must do everything we can to ensure the success of New York State’s collegiate students, regardless of background or income level, and these federal funds will help us achieve that goal,” Gillibrand said in a news release.
Those eligible for the SSS programs often face challenges such as being unfamiliar with college expectations, lack basic skills required for college-level work, and have limited experience with setting goals. The programs can help them succeed when they otherwise lack the resources to stay competitive, the senators said in a news release.
Schumer called a college education “a critical resource.”
“For many students, however, there are simply too many obstacles standing in the way of obtaining that diploma, and these federal funds will help clear those obstacles,” Schumer said in a news release.
To be eligible for SSS programs, students must be enrolled in a degree program or accepted for enrollment into a degree program, must be receiving federal Pell Grants and must meet certain income or disability guidelines as established by the federal government.
Other area schools receiving money include Monroe Community College, $307,463; St. John Fisher College and University of Rochester, both receiving $261,888.
