Pipeline Project Celebrates South Central College TRiO Graduates & Transfer Students

The TRiO Student Support Services program at South Central College (SCC) held a reception luncheon on the campus of Minnesota State University, Mankato (MSU) on May 11th to honor its 21 graduating and transfer students. The program serves first generation, low-income and students with disabilities to achieve academic success including graduation and transfer to a four-year institution to work towards bachelor’s degrees. The reception was hosted by MSU through the sponsorship of Henry Morris, Interim Dean of Institutional Diversity at MSU. It was a proud moment for the students and for the Student Support Services staff who have worked closely with each student to help them achieve their academic goals. The MSU sponsorship served as a kick-off to a new agreement between SCC’s Student Support Services and the MSU Office of Institutional Diversity called the SCC-MSU Pipeline Project. The university and the community college will collaborate to provide support services to students as they graduate from SCC and seek admission to MSU. The goal is to remove barriers and achieve a smooth transition with support services in place for the students. Dr. Mitzi Kennedy, TRiO SSS Director, told the students, “You are no longer first-generation college students; you are first-generation college graduates!”