SSC Awarded $2.86 Million in Federal Grants

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The U.S. Department of Education recently awarded Seminole State College two grants totaling approximately $2.86 million. The College was officially notified of the awards Aug. 7 by the offices of U.S. Senator James Lankford and U.S. Congresswoman Kendra Horn.

Members of the Seminole State College Student Support Services team pose for a photo commemorating the 2.86 million in federal grants the program was award. Pictured: (back row left to right) Director Janna Wilson-Byrd, Peer Coach A-yo Jones, Administrative Assistant Patty Bland, Advisor Kristen Bean, Tutor Kirsten Stevenson and Advisor Damon Cravens; (front row left to right) Advisor Sarah Ledford, Advisor Laura Votaw and Tutor Jennifer Neugebauer.

The programs receiving the grants are Student Support Services (SSS) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Student Support Services (STEM SSS). Beginning this September, SSS will receive $294,725 annually for the next five years. STEM SSS will receive $261,888 annually for the next five years.

The grant application process was spearheaded by SSS and STEM SSS Director Janna Wilson-Byrd. Retired SSC Director of Sponsored Programs Kathy Hoover served as a consultant during the proposal process.

“The success of the SSC Student Support grants lies in teamwork. Everyday our professional staff team, which is made up of Laura Votaw, Sarah Ledford, Damon Cravens, and Kristen Bean, work toward the same mission of assisting our SSS participants in academic success. A special thank you goes to Kathy Hoover for providing rare expertise with her consulting services during the writing process. Finally, I am grateful for the SSC administration, led by President Reynolds, for giving full support to write for the 2020 Student Support Services competition as well as the commitment to SSS programs for the next five years,” Wilson-Byrd said.

Both grants serve first-generation, economically disadvantaged, and disabled students. The purpose of the grants is to support these students in post-secondary persistence, completion and transfer.

Services provided by the grants include tutoring, academic advising, group study/tutoring, financial literacy, financial aid assistance, transfer assistance, dedicated study/computer labs, university visits and cultural events.

“These grants provide valuable services to our students – many times giving them the support they need to attend and complete college. We are very appreciative of our Congressional delegation, particularly Senator Lankford and Congresswoman Horn, for working with the U.S. Department of Education to bring these dollars home to Oklahoma,” President Lana Reynolds said.

To apply, SSC students can visit www.sscok.edu/sss and click the “Apply Today” button. SSS and STEM SSS labs and offices are located in Scott Building of the SSC campus.