Student support program excels

UNCG Now

Junior Dane Hansen can easily recall the mix of excitement and nervousness he felt when he first stepped foot on UNCG’s campus.
Not only was he new to UNCG, but he was new to the college environment. As the first in his family to attend a four-year university, the transition to life as a college student presented a unique set of challenges.
“I got here and I was overwhelmed with everything,” he said. “The course load was really challenging compared to what I was used to.”
Hansen and his family knew that he needed to find a support system on campus in order to be successful. The solution was UNCG’s Special Support Services (SSS), a federal TRIO grant program for first-generation students, as well as those who have a disability or come from modest-income backgrounds.
SSS offers individual tutoring, academic skills instruction and academic/career counseling to approximately 200 UNCG students each year. All services are offered free to students who are accepted into the program.
“During my first year, I logged more than 60 hours in the program,” Hansen said. “The sessions really helped me with time management.”
UNCG has a long tradition of supporting students through SSS. The federal program has been offered on campus for nearly half a century, and the results are impressive.
Last year, SSS students persisted, or returned for a second year, at a rate of 90 percent. Ninety-two percent of students were in good academic standing, and the six-year graduation rate for SSS students is 67 percent – approximately 7 points above the national average (according to 2014 data from the U.S. Dept. of Education).
But it’s not just the data that demonstrate the program’s success. It’s the countless stories from students like Marlina Avery.
As a graduate of an early college high school, Avery was used to a heavy workload. Even still, she ...

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