Every five years, TCU’s Student Support Services has to apply for a new federal funding cycle. On campus since 1997, SSS is backed by the Department of Education’s TRIO Programs and provides support to help first-generation and other underrepresented students reach the graduation finish line.
This year, in addition to the existing program, SSS Director Cynthia Montes decided to apply for the SSS STEM and Health Science Program. In August, she learned TCU was funded for both — almost doubling the number of students it can assist. The two grants are funded through 2025: the Regular SSS to serve 160 students and the new SSS STEM to serve 120.
“This is huge news for our university and especially our students,” Montes said. “There were only about 60 SSS STEM programs funded nationwide last year, and only five STEM programs in Texas. Now we have one here at our very own TCU.”
Montes answers some questions about the program:
What student population does SSS serve?
To qualify for SSS you have to meet at least one criteria:
- First-generation college student
- Lesser income
- Have a registered disability
About 85 percent of our students tend to qualify under the first-gen criteria. For lesser income, generally if a student is a Pell Grant recipient, he or she will qualify.
What services do the SSS programs provide?
The goal of both SSS programs is to support our student members so that they persist from one year to the next, in good academic standing, and that they graduate. So in essence, we are assisting with the university’s retention rate.
We provide comprehensive services that try to meet the students where they are in an effort to best support them. SSS offers the following:
- Academic advising
- Tutoring
- Mentoring
- Personal counseling
- Academic workshops
- Cultural events
- Professional development
- Financial literacy
- Leadership training
- GRE and graduate school exploration
- Grant aid
- Study lab and resources
Do all SSS program participants receive individual grants?
Students have an opportunity to compete for grant aid through SSS each semester. On average, about 85 percent of the students who apply tend to receive an award; however it is based on need, participation and meeting a minimum GPA.
These grants are small compared to overall tuition, but I have countless testimonies from our student members that this aid helps a great deal to cover the gaps they have between their financial aid and tuition costs. I have found this to be especially true right now during the pandemic, where $2,000 is what stands in the way between a student staying home to work or attending school.
What made you think TCU had a shot at the SSS STEM program?
Conversations I had started to have on campus really energized me in the way of STEM. So many new opportunities for STEM initiatives were sprouting on campus. This coupled with the new medical school made me think that an SSS STEM program would be a perfect fit for TCU.
Now, as far as did I think we had a chance? I knew it was a long shot! There were only 60 STEM programs funded in 2019 nationwide compared to more than 1,000 Regular SSS programs. However, when I talked about it in theory to my supervisors, campus partners and even current SSS students, everyone was so positive, encouraging and even excited. So I knew we had to at least try.
What are the qualifications for the SSS STEM program?
For this program, students have to be a STEM or health science major and then — as with the Regular SSS — meet at least one of the following criteria:
- First-generation college student
- Lesser income
- Have a registered disability
What kind of impact do you think the SSS STEM program will have?
My expectation is that many more students from underrepresented backgrounds will get to realize their dreams of graduating with their STEM major. STEM and health science majors in general need lots of support, and I would argue that first-gen STEM and health science majors need even more. We are going to cultivate an environment where they can find what they need — be it tangible resources, mentorship and guidance or just moral support and encouragement. I hear so many of our current students who declare they might not have finished if it weren’t for SSS. My hope is to have just as big and as consistent an impact across both programs.
Do students have to reapply for the SSS program each year?
Once a student is in the program, they do not have to reapply — they will be members until graduation. All SSS services and opportunities offered to our students are provided at no cost. As for the individual grant aid, students can apply every semester.
How was securing the funding a campuswide effort?
Incredible support was offered when embarking on this journey. I don’t think the TCU Office of Institutional Research gets enough credit for all the work they do behind the scenes. Provost Teresa Dahlberg, Dr. Jan Lacina (who was serving as our COE Interim Dean), Office of Sponsored Programs, Dr. Floyd Wormley, STEM Scholar Coordinator Dr. Zoranna Jones and Robin Melton are just a few of the people who had a great impact, not to mention the outpouring of commitment letters from the entire campus community. Everyone at some point gave me the latitude to be creative, guidance to be concrete and even funding to be exact, which made both SSS grants happen.
Anything else you want to add?
I wish I could paint a clear picture of what SSS means to the student members in our program. They send emails and texts when they are away for the summer telling us they miss being in the lab. We have been the first to know when they get their citizenship, go through personal hardships, accept an internship or get into the Neeley School of Business. We truly strive to foster deep, lasting connections in our office which, I believe, adds to their success at TCU. We hold them accountable while we care for them. Pre-pandemic, our lab would stay open from 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. weekdays and occasional weekends, and there were always students there. In SSS, we are a family and we are ecstatic, and a bit nervous, that our family is about to grow so quickly. I hope we can count on our campus community to help us as we figure out what this new normal is by referring students, serving as mentors and sharing information and ideas.