Loyola University New Orleans Pan-American Life Student Success Center Receives Education Grant Worth Nearly $1.4 Million

(New Orleans, La. – August 31, 2020) Great news! Loyola University New Orleans has been awarded a large new federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education that will enhance support services to low-income, first-generation, and students with disabilities.
 
The TRIO-Student Success Support Services grant, worth nearly $1.4 million over the next five years, will help Loyola to provide these students with comprehensive educational support services grounded in evidence-based strategies. This is the first time Loyola has received an SSS grant.

“Through generous financial aid, Loyola University New Orleans prides itself on making academic excellence accessible to our diverse, national student body,” said President Tania Tetlow.  “This grant will add even more individualized support in the Jesuit tradition of cura personalis – mind, body and soul.”

 “Now, more than ever, it is essential we provide inclusive support to every Loyola student, embracing their unique stories and strengths,” said Elizabeth Rainey, executive director of the Pan-American Life Student Success Center. “Our students are our future and it’s essential that they graduate with skills to be life-long learners, develop meaningful relationships, and excel beyond their time at Loyola.”

Approximately 55 percent of students enrolled in fall 2018 met the criteria for Students Success Support grant services which include being first generation, receiving Pell grants, or being eligible for accommodations. Loyola wants to help all these students persist through to graduation by understanding their diverse needs and promoting efforts to eradicate the structural barriers that prevent many talented students from succeeding.
 
In the donor-funded $1.25-million Pan-American Life Student Success Center (PAL-SSC), a central hub on campus, all Loyola students enjoy personalized student success coaching, academic advising, writing instruction, tutoring, mentoring, and career services. The PAL-SSC also houses the Office of Accessible Education. Through the SSS grant, eligible Loyola students will receive additional academic tutoring, coaching, and advising; information on financial aid programs; assistance in completing financial aid applications; financial literacy and wellness; and support for applying for graduate school programs.
 
The newly awarded TRIO grant will enhance the services already provided by the Pan-American Life Student Success Center and add additional staff members to support the program. It will support 140 students per year over the next five years. Participants will be consistently assessed, monitored for their progress, and provided support for their diverse academic and non-cognitive needs to ensure that they persist, succeed, and graduate.

TRIO grants are a continuum of federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds, according to the DOE website. It includes Upward Bound for high school students, Student Support Services for collegiate-level services, and McNair Scholars for graduate students. Loyola University New Orleans also supports an Upward Bound grant.

The Pan-American Life Student Success Center at Loyola New Orleans will receive $261,888 each year for five years, for a total of $1,309,440 to support 140 underrepresented students annually.