COE is inviting community colleges—with or without a current SSS program—to apply for the inaugural COE Award for Institutional Effectiveness, which will bestow $10,000 each on three campuses that have successfully embedded TRIO Student Support Services practices into their wider student success strategies.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Supported by a grant from ECMC Foundation, the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) today announced the COE Award for Institutional Effectiveness, a $10,000 prize recognizing three community colleges that have embedded TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) strategies across their campuses to advance student success. Eligible institutions, whether currently funded by SSS or with a history of SSS programming, are invited to apply by October 15, 2025.

“Community colleges serve as the vital gateway to postsecondary opportunity for more than 4.5 million students nationwide,” said COE President Kimberly Jones. “By honoring institutions that have made SSS practices a permanent, mission-aligned part of their work, we spotlight models that help low-income and first-generation students not only enroll but persist and graduate.”

A landmark 2019 U.S. Department of Education evaluation found that SSS participants were 47 percent more likely to complete a two-year degree or transfer and 18 percent more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree than their comparable peers. The new COE Award will amplify those proven gains by identifying practical, scalable approaches that benefit student populations.

Paula Kashtan, program officer at ECMC Foundation, remarked, “Our Foundation’s strategic commitment to community colleges reflects their essential role in driving economic mobility. COE’s award will accelerate the adoption of evidence-based SSS practices, ensuring that colleges nationwide thoughtfully invest in the success of first-generation and low-income students.”

The selection process unfolds in two stages. First, colleges complete a brief application demonstrating how SSS strategies, such as mentoring, academic coaching, and data-driven evaluation, have been institutionalized beyond the original TRIO program. Second, semifinalists coordinate an in-person campus visit between November 15, 2025, and January 15, 2026. Three finalists will be notified by March 2026, each receiving $10,000 in unrestricted funds to advance their student-centered work.

Nicole Norfles, Ed.D., COE Director of Program Practice and Innovation and liaison to the Community College Initiative Advisory Committee, added, “This award recognizes not just programs, but institutional commitment. We look forward to celebrating colleges that have woven SSS best practices into advising, resource alignment, and opportunity-focused planning.

“In alignment with COE’s mission to expand educational opportunity, this award honors community colleges that exemplify effective student-centric strategies,” said Aaron Brown, Executive Vice President of COE. “By celebrating institutions that have seamlessly embedded TRIO Student Support Services practices campus-wide, we aim to spotlight replicable models that not only lift individual students but strengthen entire communities and ensure that every campus is equipped to support first-generation and low-income learners on their path to success.”

Community colleges interested in applying can download the guidelines and application form at coenet.org here. If they have questions, email Nicole Norfles at nicole.norfles@coenet.org.

Media Inquiries

For media inquiries or to arrange an interview, please contact Terrance L. Hamm, associate vice-president for communications and marketing at COE via email at terrance.hamm@coenet.org or call (202) 347-7430.

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