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St. Olaf College receives $760,000 grant from U.S. Department of Education

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July 19, 2001

NORTHFIELD, Minn. ? St. Olaf College has received $760,000 from the U.S. Department of Education to continue the college?s Student Support Services/Professional Exploration Program for another four years, at $190,000 a year.

The Student Support Services program began in 1979 as one of the college?s TRIO programs to increase retention and graduation rates of 100 St. Olaf students who are first-generation college students, who meet federal income guidelines or who have a disability. The program provides intensive advising, cultural and leadership events and activities, financial aid advising and assistance, graduate school preparation, an incentive program for academic achievement and assistance in applying for summer research and internship opportunities.

The Professional Exploration Program, which began in 1989, is part of Student Support Services and offers a five-week "Bridge to Success" summer program for approximately 25 incoming St. Olaf students. Funding by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, facilitated by the St. Olaf College Biology Department, provides primary support for the program.

The Student Support Services/Professional Exploration Program is one of three St. Olaf TRIO programs. TRIO was created under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965; its programs are designed to help low-income students prepare for and graduate from college. It identifies promising high school students, provides information about academic and financial aid opportunities, and provides tutoring and support services when the students reach college.

Many Student Support Services/Professional Exploration Program participants also have been involved in the other two TRIO programs ? Educational Talent Search and Upward Bound ? which provide outreach in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Red Wing high schools.

The Student Support Services/Professional Exploration Program is directed by Kathy Glampe.

St. Olaf College prepares students to become responsible citizens of the world, fostering development of mind, body and spirit. A four-year, coeducational liberal arts college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), St. Olaf has a student enrollment of 2,950 and a full-time faculty complement of approximately 300. It is one of Money Guide?s top 100 "elite values in college education today," and it leads the nation?s colleges in percentage of students who study abroad.

Contact Michael Cooper at 507-786-3315 or cooperm@stolaf.edu.