Our mission
We believe that success should be possible for all who strive for it.
We believe that success should be possible for all who strive for it.
At Trio New College Network, we aspire to a world where hardworking people can pursue their dreams without being constrained by structural inequities.
Today, however, many Americans are denied access to a critical path to economic security and upward mobility. The traditional higher education system isn’t built for the students who can often benefit the most from having access to it.
We believe we can make the greatest impact on this challenge by combining three key opportunities.
We center nontraditional college-seekers, connect them with community support, and help them navigate to a higher education pathway that works for them.
The largest college student demographic is critically underserved. Our work aims to impact nontraditional learners who are first-gen, working students, and/or parents.
People are best equipped for success when their community supports them. That’s why we help launch local sites that pair our students with in-person coaches.
Recent innovations have created new postsecondary pathways made for today's student. We give our students unique access to these disruptive offerings.
Trio is dedicated to the population we serve: working-age adults, primarily in their 20s, 30's and 40's, primarily Black and Latinx, who seek to advance in their careers and fulfill their own vision and potential.
Nationwide, there are about 40 million working adults with “some college, no degree” and even more who never attended college – the traditional system has become a confusing labyrinth to navigate in their already complex, busy lives. Meanwhile, 70% of new jobs require college degrees. These strivers are denied access to a critical path to economic security and upward mobility.
We seek to change that system to meet the needs of today’s students and make the dream of a college degree more attainable for more people.
first-generation, low-income students do not graduate on time
community college students do not graduate on time
of Black students do not graduate on time
of Latinx students do not graduate on time
"Before finding Degree Forward, I was always thinking about going back to school. But I felt it was too late, I had been out too long at 47 years old. My frustration overwhelmed me at one point."
Trio collaborates with interested local leaders to launch college success partner sites -- local, in-person student centers that connects students with a range of supports as they pursue Trio-powered postsecondary pathways. The core value to students is intensive 1:1 coaching that, when paired with online-driven academics, creates a unique hybrid model for success.
In addition to personalized coaching, students gain access to a range of wraparound supports. These may include:
Dr. Raylynn Henry (pictured above) is the Director of Degree Attainment at Trio’s program in Detroit, Degree Forward. Dr. Henry has a strong educational background with an earned Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational & Educational Leadership from Oakland University. A firm believer in active learning, Dr. Henry believes teaching is not about lecturing to students; it’s about presenting material to students in a way that they can apply the information in the real world.
In the photo above, Dr. Henry helps Degree Forward student DeShawn Lindsay through an online module that will get him one step closer to obtaining a degree in Communications. See the full story from the Detroit Free Press to learn more about how Dr. Henry supports her students.
With the guidance of local coaches, students in the Trio Network gain exclusive access to cutting-edge postsecondary programs, including enrollment in an accelerated competency-based degree program from our academic partner, Southern New Hampshire University.
Some are AA and BA degrees (e.g. SNHU’s offering). Others are more certificate-oriented (e.g. Praxis Prep, digital skill bootcamps, Google Career Certifications, IBM SkillsBuild). All are organized under Trio-designed pathways made to fit the needs of our students.
With remote learning, students seeking a higher degree should not be required to fit a rigid academic schedule into their busy lives.
There are multiple pathways that lead to a degree, building job-specific skills through digital bootcamps, or obtaining required certifications.
Students should be able to move as quickly or slowly through content as it makes sense for them, their busy lives, and their actual learning.
Students work closely with a coach who understands the challenges that they face and provides motivation and guidance for success.
SNHU's unique competency-based education programs allow Trio students to maintain a flexible schedule that enables them to balance their education with other responsibilities, like work and family, while obtaining a highly affordable degree.
Though national in scope, we’re locally driven. At the heart of our network are rooted teams with deep, authentic ties to their communities.
Our focus will always be on our students. We build offerings based on what our students need and want, not what institutions have always done.
We seek the scale and quality to positively change the life trajectory of thousands of strivers across the country.
We exist to improve the way students can access higher education, which demands a shift in the status quo. We think differently.
Our business model is designed to build self-sustaining sites. We’re focused on lasting, sustainable change, not short-term fixes.
Will you partner with us to reimagine higher education?
Contact us to learn more about partnering with Trio.
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Take as many pixel-perfect UI elements as you want and style them the way you need in a fraction of the time.
Take as many pixel-perfect UI elements as you want and style them the way you need in a fraction of the time.
Take as many pixel-perfect UI elements as you want and style them the way you need in a fraction of the time.
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