Council for Opportunity in Education, Leadership Summit
Delivered by Chancellor James H. McCormick
March 12, 2005
Washington, DC
I am pleased to have this opportunity to address the Council's Leadership Summit, and I am delighted to be here with Joan Youngman, one of the many fine TRIO coordinators in Minnesota. I am inspired to hear about the successes that she and her colleagues have had. And, I thank them.
I also am honored to address you, the TRIO leaders who day in and day out generate the possibility of fulfilling dreams for hundreds of thousands of students who otherwise would be left behind.
There is no doubt that the work you do is vitally important to this country's future. Your determination and enthusiasm, your persistence and your encouragement to your staffs and the students make a profound difference.
I know from several decades of working in and leading higher education institutions in Pennsylvania and Minnesota that TRIO programs are among the most successful and rewarding - for students, faculty and staff - of any programs on our campuses.
For the record, TRIO programs in Minnesota served more than 15,000 students in 2004. Most of the programs are run by 22 institutions within the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. The University of Minnesota and private colleges also operate some programs.
Overall, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system serves about 240,000 students each year in credit-based courses and 130,000 students in non-credit courses.
Now, for the question that is always before us: How can we do better? That is why I am here today. I have been asked to share the steps we have taken in Minnesota to broaden TRIO's reach and strengthen its effectiveness.
While Ms. Youngman spoke about her experiences at the institutional level, I am offering a system point of view.
As you know, there is a new urgency to meeting these goals. Under the proposed budget, two key TRIO programs - Upward Bound and Talent Search - would be eliminated. In total, TRIO funding would be cut by nearly 56 percent.
I am concerned that the very programs that contribute so much to improving the quality of life and economic vitality of our country are not recognized for the value they create.
We must change that. We must ensure that everyone - your friends and neighbors, your institutional administrators and colleagues and your state and federal lawmakers - support these programs.
That is what we are working on in Minnesota. So, how are we doing that, and what can you do? I will suggest three specific steps you can take. They are: Evaluate your programs. Collaborate and build networks.
And, advocate, advocate, advocate. I hope you will see that each of these efforts builds on and supports the other two.
Let me begin by saying that I know you already evaluate your programs. What I'm suggesting here is going beyond what you already do. In other words, find out how you are doing by looking at your programs from a different angle.
In Minnesota, TRIO administrators began reviewing each other's programs a few years ago. Peer review is a time-honored academic tradition that benefits all parties. I'm told this has been particularly helpful because institutional administrators don't always understand the fine points of TRIO regulations. Armed with an outsider's conclusions, TRIO directors at various campuses have been better able to ensure that program requirements are met. Now, notice, that this was not happening with regular program evaluations.
TRIO administrators - through the Minnesota Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel - also routinely collect and publish statewide data every two years. Anyone who reads this report easily can see the long-term accomplishment of these programs. The report includes key statistics - such as 90 percent of Minnesota's Upward Bound students graduated from high school - and a few specific success stories.
For example, the last report told the story about Hanna Nguyen, then a student at Normandale Community College in the Educational Talent Search program.
As she put it, "TRIO helped mold me from a shy little girl, who never spoke, into an independent woman - one who is not afraid to let the world know what she's made of." The last we knew, Hanna was studying biology and physiology at the University of Minnesota.
You can do the same things. Start by taking a good hard look at what is working and what is not working in your program. Be ruthlessly honest here. It is far easier and far better for you, the people running the programs, to determine what is missing - not what's wrong but what's missing - that will take your effectiveness to a higher level. Learn from each other.
This is not about finding more resources. This is about ensuring first for yourself, that you are making the best use of what you have. Michael Jordan, after all, only had the body he was born with. What made him a master basketball player was that he continually looked for ways to do more with what he had. You can do the same. I am simply challenging you here.
The second thing we have been encouraging in the system is collaboration within each institution and among institutions. My understanding is that in far too many places, TRIO is seen as an adjunct operation - something separate from the goals and missions of regular academic programs.
TRIO programs must become fully integrated at every institution. Your job, quite frankly, as leaders of TRIO programs in your states, is to make that happen.
I know that's a tall order. You can start with your own institution. Identify and share your goals with anyone and everyone on your campus. Enroll them in supporting your goals. You can do this in a five-minute phone call or over lunch. The important thing here is to act, to build support for TRIO programs from the folks on your campus who are not directly involved in your work.
This makes a difference. I can tell you that because we encourage our TRIO directors to build these alliances. And, I know it is happening.
Shelly Siegel, the Student Support Services program director, and her colleagues at North Hennepin Community College in the Twin Cities metro area are a case in point. They are not shy about seeking institutional support. With a receptive administration, the Student Support Services program there now has a separate counseling space with a lounge and study rooms for the participants. These students also have priority at registration to ensure they have workable class schedules. According to Shelly, a new cohesiveness among the students has emerged.
In addition, several other institutions in the system have begun priority registration for TRIO participants. I know I don't have to tell you what a difference this can make for students who can be easily discouraged by challenging circumstances.
At the system level, we have taken several steps. First, the Board of Trustees has made increasing access and opportunity for underrepresented populations a top priority in our strategic plan.
We are encouraging each institution to remove barriers that might discourage these students. In fact, every institution is required to set up a work plan on how they are going to meet the needs of under-represented students.
The Board also allocated a half-million dollars in the last two years for competitive grants to set up programs that complement TRIO's work.
I am particularly impressed hearing Joan Youngman tell you about how her institution applied for one of our competitive grants but was not deterred when the proposal was not funded. Her determination in overcoming a funding barrier provides an inspiring example for TRIO students and program directors alike.
TRIO coordinators in our system's institutions also know there is someone they can talk to at the top. Mike López, the Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, is the TRIO liaison. When Associate Vice Chancellor López speaks, I listen. And, so does the Board of Trustees.
Three years ago, the system also began hosting an annual "best practices" conference on recruiting and retaining underrepresented students. Naturally, TRIO directors are a key part of that.
Again, networking, collaborating, communicating - these are the keys to successful programs. What is needed here is simply the will. It's rather like the line from that movie, Field of Dreams, about an Iowa farmer who wanted to build a baseball diamond in the middle of a cornfield. "If you build it, they will come." The same thing is true here. Go forth and replicate.
That brings me to my last piece of advice. Advocate. Advocate. Advocate. It is no longer enough to simply do your job - the day-to-day work of TRIO programs. We must rally the troops and make the case where it counts - with the folks who hold the purse strings. In our office, for instance, Dr. Mary Jacquart, the system's director for federal educational grants, is in frequent contact with Minnesota's congressional representatives about the value and need for expanding - not contracting - TRIO programs.
Of course, you should encourage and enlist your fellow workers. But, also know that your students can be your strongest and most effective advocates. In fact, student associations in Minnesota are sending a bus to Washington with 55 students to lobby Congressional representatives. I would like to acknowledge them for taking action to create better lives for themselves and students who will follow them. Some of them are here because each year, TRIO administrators send several Minnesota students to this conference.
One of them is April Rog, a first-generation college student at North Hennepin Community College. Currently studying political science and science, she is in the Student Support Services program. April recently spent three months in Washington, D.C. as an intern for the United States Student Association.
On her way to becoming a teacher, April has become a strong advocate for TRIO programs. As she put it the other day, "These programs build self-sufficient communities. My little sister and brother will not need these programs because I had access to them. Now, I can help them."
She's exactly the kind of student we need out there talking to lawmakers.
This effort is particularly important because we must expand these programs if only out of our self interest as a nation. Given our aging population, we are going to need every worker we have as the baby boomers retire. And, we need them to be well educated. To compete globally, we can't afford to leave anyone behind.
Knowing that, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system is asking the state Legislature for $12 million over two years to better serve underrepresented populations. We don't know what lawmakers will decide. But it's important that they know we place a high priority on assuring access to higher education opportunities for the underrepresented citizens of our state.
As TRIO leaders, you may already think of yourselves as ambassadors for these programs. Don't be shy about sharing the triumphs of your programs. We know there are many. And, here is where having good hard data, compiled in an easily understood way, can support your efforts.
So, I am urging you to take on this simple challenge: Advance the cause by having at least one conversation a day with any one who can lend support. We know it took Ghandi years to persuade the British to leave India, but I can guarantee you that it started with a conversation.
In many ways, the future of TRIO programs is in your hands. Regardless of what happens with federal funding, we must undertake a new approach. That may mean aggressively seeking funding at the state level - or through private foundations.
Collectively, we can hold ourselves to high standards, improve the visibility of TRIO programs and be relentless advocates for improving access to higher education for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who benefit from these vital services.
When you think about it, we cannot falter. We must be rigorous. We must be relentless.
After all, our constituents are depending on us.
James H. McCormick is chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.
