1. Students Don’t Know What They Don’t Know
Norma Pérez-Kahler, Ed.D.
Director, TRIO – Student Support Services
Des Moines Area Community College

3. What is SSS?
Student Support Services is a TRIO Program, an acronym for federally funded education programs offered under Title IV of the 1965 Educational Opportunity Act.
TRIO programs are: Upward Bound, Talent Search, Educational Opportunity Centers, McNair Scholars and Student Support Services.
Specifically, TRIO/Student Support Services provides educational opportunity assistance for college success.
To qualify students must meet one or more of the following criteria:
Low-income students
First-generation college students
(neither parent has earned a four-year degree)
Documented physical or learning disability

4. Overcoming Challenges, Moving Students FORWARD
TRIO/SSS
Overcoming Challenges,    Moving Students FORWARD
Our Mission:
The directive of the TRIO/Student Support Services program is to provide underrepresented student populations with the added support mechanisms needed to meet the challenges of higher education.
Through the development of academic and personal skills, the program focuses on
deepening critical thinking competencies,
increasing student persistence, and
promoting degree completion.

5. Benefits of Membership in TRIO/SSS
Intrusive Academic Advising & Coaching:
Intentional, Individual and In-Depth Assistance
Understanding of students’ challenges at school and beyond
Guidance to establish and manage students’ educational goals
Support to learn about program requirements and course selection
Career Assessment
Comprehensive knowledge of the campus resources
Referrals to other appropriate services.

6. Benefits of Membership in TRIO/SSS
Intrusive Academic Advising & Coaching:
Intentional, Individual and In-Depth Assistance
Foster sense of community
Help students develop meaningful relationships with faculty and peers
Encourage connections at various institutional levels
Provide comprehensive assistance to develop academic résumé and personal essay
Information, support and referral for internship & scholarship applications

7. Benefits of Membership in TRIO/SSS
Transfer Assistance
For students who are planning to transfer to a four-year institution or professional school, SSS provides:
Information about
Application processes and requirements
Tuition, housing, scholarships and other fees
Visits to colleges and universities
Organize transfer fairs at Urban Campus, and
Personal advising about the transferring process as a whole

8. Benefits of Membership in TRIO/SSS
Financial Aid Assistance:
Help submitting the FAFSA form,
Advice about decisions that affect students’ financial aid (now and in the future)
Financial Literacy Assessment & Workshops that explain the financial aid system and the variety of funding choices available to students.

9. Benefits of Membership in TRIO/SSS – The Success Lab
Two part-time Lab Assistants, who are also adjunct instructors at DMACC
Ten to twelve Peer Tutors
Hired through the work-study program
Work 4-9 hours per week
Have B+ or better in tutoring subject areas
Majority are SSS participants
Role models/Peer Mentors

10. Benefits of Membership in TRIO/SSS
Success Lab Services:
Supportive environment
Individual and group tutoring and supplemental instruction assistance
Resource Room & Computer Lab
Place to study, research, check , print papers, and much more…
TRIO/SSS Family = Micro Community within DMACC urban

11. Benefits of Membership in TRIO/SSS
Skill-Development Seminars/Workshops
monthly sessions which address topics pertinent to students’ academic and personal success
Cultural and Social Engagement Events
free of charge to our members
Attend Student Conferences
develop leadership skills

12. TRIO/SSS celebrates success!

13. Students don’t know what they don’t know!
First-generation students (and others) have unique needs and expectations:
Absence of role models and guidance along the way
Lack of trust in society – others different from themselves
Feel the pressure to succeed (way out)
Feel isolated ‘the only one experiencing all that lack of knowledge’
Do not know what to expect
No one to answer questions and help them navigate the system

14. Students don’t know what they don’t know!
Students with unique needs and expectations:
Not used to making financial decisions that impact their future
Unsure how to establish academic goals or personal goals
Misperception on how to choose the right major and how to set academic objectives
Do not know the resources available to them and their needs
Need individualized attention
Do not know how to gain true ownership of their education

15. How can faculty support the whole student
They turn to advisors and/or faculty for answers, guidance and support
Understand their unique needs and expectations
Understand and learn about their background, family structure, and support system (or lack of)
Sensitivity to their lack of trust in the system
Institutional responsibility – everyone at institution can assist in their success and needs to be prepared to help
Institutional support – address the needs and issues of all students  keep them engaged = persistence and completion

16. How can faculty support the whole student
First-generation students (and others) have unique needs and expectations:
Establish community
Stay attuned to students
Develop individual connections
Create positive ‘we can do’ environment
Be a sympathetic professor – remember what it was like when we went through the college experience
Help students establish not just academic goals but also personal goals needed to support their academic objectives

17. What research shows…
Komives and Woodard (2001) indicate that 'one of the most powerful positive influences on students' persistence in college is individual attention'  
Individual support and institutional responsiveness are also powerful factors in student persistence
Students who feel connected and engaged will persist and be more successful in college
Research (Campbell & Campbell, 1997; Kuh & Hu, 1991) shows that student- faculty relationships are crucial during a student’s time in college
Good relationships with faculty help students feel connected with the institution
One of the responsibilities of a good advisor/coach is to help students develop those relationships with faculty and encourage connections at various institutional levels

18. What research shows…
Faculty are often among the first to notice when students are experiencing problems and sometimes those are problems we are not able, nor qualified, to address
To help our role in addressing students’ needs, develop a list of information/links to the resources our institution provides:
academic advising and coaching
peer tutoring and study groups – specific schedules, location and subjects
walk-in and individual tutoring – location of center
supplemental instruction
information (seminars schedules/handouts) on: note-taking; time-management; test anxiety; exam preparation; stress management; résumé/interviewing, dinner etiquette; balancing life: work, family, academics and fun; self-care, mental health, etc.
academic organizations and student clubs, local chapters of national/state organizations for college access and success
mental health counseling and resources

19. … as Faculty? … as Institution? … as Alliance?
table discussions: Based on information above, what can we do better to support the whole student?
… as Faculty?
… as Institution?
… as Alliance?

21. resources
The Ohio State University — Center for Higher Education Enterprise -
CHEE's primary activities include research, policy analysis, and outreach that will help make higher education more accessible, affordable, engaged and all-around excellent. Click the images below to learn more about CHEE's focus areas.

22. resources NACADA http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/
Education Advisory Board
Center for Student Opportunity (CSO)  I’m First:
RPGroup:
10WaysFacultyCanSupportStudentSuccess-Summer2013.pdf