Lyndon Institute Awarded Vermont's Newest Trio Grant

Lyndon Institute has been awarded a five-year grant totaling $1.47 million from the U.S. Department of Education to help serve first-generation and/or moderate-income students. This year’s grant competition was one of the most competitive ever—950 programs were funded out of more than 1,600 applications. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in, and graduate from, institutions of postsecondary education. The 12-month program provides assistance with high school course selection, study skills, SAT preparation, college and career information, college selection, and financial aid applications. Students will also have the opportunity to tour colleges, volunteer in their community, and attend various student leadership conferences. This federal grant will support LI’s mission to “inspire their students to become accomplished learners, creative thinkers, and compassionate community members”.

Lyndon Institute began in 1867 as the Lyndon Literary and Biblical Institution. Its first academic term was in 1870. In the more than 150 years since, the campus has served as home to the Lyndon Commercial College in 1886, and the Vermont School of Agriculture. The latter was founded in 1910 by Theodore N. Vail, the first president of New England Telephone Company and the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T).

In 1923, the school officially became Lyndon Institute. From 1923 to 1951, the Institute provided both secondary and post-secondary educational programs to area students. In 1951, the post-secondary programs became Lyndon Teachers College which would later become Lyndon State College.

Upward Bound is one of the federally funded TRIO programs through the US. Department of Education and is free for any eligible participating student. The TRIO Programs (initially just three programs) are funded under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. TRIO students are first-generation, college-bound, and from moderate-income families and/or are students with disabilities. TRIO Upward Bound programs across the nation have supported millions of high school students from moderate-income homes to become the first in their families to earn a college degree. Established as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, these programs have invited high school students in every state to study on a college campus. During the school year, students have access to tutoring and academic counseling to keep them on track for graduation, and during the summer, they move into residence halls and enroll in classes designed to prepare them for the year ahead.

The Lyndon Institute Upward Bound program is committed to providing participants with the academic background, college preparatory experiences, and support needed to succeed in college immediately after high school. The program will work annually with 60 students who are dedicated to achieving their post-secondary goals. Students will spend six weeks of their summer living on the campus of NVU - Lyndon where they take college preparatory courses, hold volunteer work-study positions in the community, and participate in activities on campus while living in the residence halls. Upward Bound students also participate in community service activities, financial aid workshops, leadership and cultural events, and college tours throughout the school year.

VEOP Celebrates History and Successes

The annual VEOP conference had been scheduled for October at Vermont Technical College. Like so many other things during the pandemic, it was postponed. It was replaced by a VEOP Day of Celebration to be followed by a series of spring online workshops. On January 10th VEOP current and past members gathered online to celebrate our success, to announce annual awards and to hear about the current state of college access in Vermont.

Four awards were presented:

Participants also heard from staffers from our delegates in Washington and got an update from the Council for Opportunity in Education.

The highlight of the day was the presence of former recipients of the Jack Anderson Distinguished Service award. This award was established in 1998 to honor the contributions of those people dedicated to college access in Vermont and northern New York. Jack Anderson received the first of these awards and shared his experience with Upward Bound in the early days of the program. Ted Turkle, Karen Scott, Katherine Veilleux, Monica Sargent, Sigh Searles, Charles Castelli, and many others joined to share their stories of the early days of Trio and GEAR UP programming.

At this point the VEOP conference is scheduled to be in person next fall, pandemic allowing.

VSAC receives $2.9 million grant to provide educational opportunities for adult learners

The Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC), Vermont’s statewide organization supporting education for Vermonters beyond high school, announced that it has received a significant five-year funding extension for its Educational Opportunity Center, which helps Vermont adult learners connect with college and workforce training.

The $2.9 million federal grant allows the EOC to continue its work through 2026. The EOC was founded in 1991 and has helped more than 60,000 adult Vermonters over the last three decades.

“We talk about education as the ‘great equalizer,’” said Scott Giles, VSAC President and CEO. “Thinking about those 60,000 people, and the milestones they’ve been able to achieve in their lives – the families they’ve grown, the businesses they’ve started, and the communities they’ve strengthened – really makes that truth hit home. I’m so proud of the work that VSAC’s counseling team does every day, and I’m grateful to the hard work of our Congressional delegation that will allow that work to continue,” he said.

Governor Phil Scott stressed the importance of continual workforce training, adding that it’s a critical time for growth – both for Vermont and for Vermonters.

“Working to grow Vermont’s workforce and expanding workforce development opportunities have been top priorities for my administration,” said Governor Scott. “This will be even more critical as we work out of the pandemic and rebuild, and programs like this will go a long way in helping Vermonters develop the tools they need to succeed.”

Merrilyn Tatarczuch-Koff, VSAC Director of Vermont’s EOC, said the program works with some 1,600 Vermonters each year who do not have bachelor’s degrees and wish to continue their education. According to Tatarczuch-Koff, EOC counselors, working with numerous community partners, can help their clients, either virtually, by phone, or in person. Seven statewide counselors offer one-on-one counseling in the way of career exploration, identifying educational and professional certification programs, and connecting with funding sources such as scholarships and grants.

VSAC’s Talent Search program receives 6-year funding extension

The federally-funded Talent Search program, which has made great strides connecting modest income Vermont high school students with opportunities for college and training, has received a six-year funding extension, according to the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC), which has administered the grant program since 1969.

The six-year, $2.6 million grant will allow VSAC to continue its work in 46 middle and high schools across the state. Each year, VSAC Talent Search counselors work with approximately 1,000 Vermont students, supporting them in areas such as study skills, career exploration, the college research and application processes, and selection of high school courses that will best prepare them for their post-secondary track.

VSAC measures program outcomes each year, and recent data show strong success rates for the students who are part of VSAC’s Talent Search. For example, in the class of 2020, 78% of Talent Search participants enrolled in a postsecondary education program by the following academic year, compared with 52% of non-Talent-Search-affiliated graduating seniors who were first-generation to college (meaning neither parent has a bachelor’s degree). According to the Vermont Agency of Education, the state’s overall postsecondary enrollment rate is about 62%. 

The Vermont Congressional delegation played a critical role in securing funding for this innovative career and education outreach program. Scott Giles, President and CEO of VSAC, thanked Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders, and Congressman Peter Welch, for their continued support.

“Talent Search helps us open the doors to higher education for young Vermonters across the state who face and are working to overcome significant barriers to achieving their education and career goals. These students are a critical part of our state efforts to strengthen our workforce and grow our post-pandemic economy. We are proud to support them on their career and education journey and these funds make it all possible,” Giles said.

                Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who is Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, emphasized the importance of programs like Talent Search for Vermonters and for the state of Vermont. “We know that education beyond high school is critical to preparing young people for the jobs of the future,” he said, “and we know that VSAC’s work is paying off in terms of getting more low-income and first-generation Vermonters to go on to college. These investments will pay dividends for generations to come, both for the individuals and for the state’s economy. I’m proud to play a part in ensuring that important work continues.”

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Chair of the Senate Budget Committee and a senior member of the Senate’s education committee said, “Every student who wants to should be able to further their education after high school, regardless of their background or how much money they have.  Now more than ever, we must do everything we can to help our students prepare for, and succeed in, college. VSAC plays a critical role in helping students do just that, which is why I am so glad they are receiving this federal grant and why I will continue to fight for the Talent Search program and all federal TRIO programs.”

Congressman Peter Welch (D-VT) added that higher education is an essential part of planning for a strong future. “The Talent Search program is about ensuring that all Vermont students – regardless of their background or income – can access opportunities through higher education and training programs. This isn’t just about building a more equitable future for all Vermonters, this is about investing in our state’s workforce. With many employers struggling right now to fill jobs that do everything from providing critical health care to teaching our children, programs like VSAC’s Talent Search have never been more important.” 

VSAC Talent Search participants must meet eligibility criteria in terms of family income and first-generation status. Eligible students can be enrolled in the VSAC Talent Search program as early as sixth grade and continue through high school graduation.

Enrolled students meet regularly with an assigned VSAC counselor, usually embedded in their school, who offers them one-on-one support in career exploration, postsecondary searching, and planning, and completing college and financial aid applications. Students can also take advantage of Talent Search-organized college visits and participate in summer education and enrichment programs.

Talent Search is a U.S. Department of Education federally funded TRIO program founded in 1965. Each year, more than 363,300 students are enrolled in 466 Talent Search Trio programs across the US.  Learn more about TRIO

Talent Search Students Making a Difference

Brattleboro Union High School Talent Search 10th graders Melanie St. John and Chloe Chase capped off the community service project they started during this pandemic year by delivering donations they collected to the Groundworks Collaborative, which provides ongoing support to families and individuals facing housing and food insecurities in the Brattleboro area. Laura Chapman, from Groundworks, expressed her appreciation for the number of items collected for the residents of their shelters. 

After that successful project, Melanie and Chloe are spearheading another project at their high school—creating handmade cards for the residents of a long-term care facility in Brattleboro called Pine Heights. Thanks Melanie and Chloe (along with the support of Assistant Principal Kate Margaitis and Talent Search Counselor Holly Hammond) for working to make a difference in your community.

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EOC Celebrates 30 Years at VSAC

Governor Phil Scott and the Vermont Legislature are celebrating 30 years of VSAC’s Educational Opportunity Center with a proclamation and concurrent resolution, naming the week of April 12, Educational Opportunity Center Week in Vermont.

Vermont Student Assistance Corp. is marking three decades of success in the Educational Opportunity Center, a federally funded outreach program that helps Vermont adults access college and career training services that will build the foundation for successful careers.

“As we work to grow our economy, the Educational Opportunity Center is an important resource to help Vermonters gain the skills and training needed to succeed in the workforce and career opportunities in Vermont,” Governor Scott said. “Combined with the Advancement Grant, the EOC program guides and provides funding for Vermonters on their chosen career pathways.”

The pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of education and training that all Vermonters must have to fill critical roles in our communities – like health care, mental health, technology, and manufacturing, noted Scott Giles, VSAC president and CEO. As VSAC’s partners at the McClure Foundation have pointed out, all of Vermont’s high-growth, high-wage jobs require education and training after high school. And, as our state recovers, these jobs will be in greater demand and, very importantly, they provide security and good wages.

“It’s timely to observe this important milestone now, when more than ever, Vermonters are focused on the skills and training they need to emerge successfully from the economic hardships caused by the pandemic,” said Scott Giles, president and CEO of VSAC. “But this milestone is about more than the program, it gives us an opportunity to celebrate the thousands of Vermonters who have used these services to pursue the opportunity to achieve their career, education and life goals.”

The Educational Opportunity Center at VSAC helps adults access college and career training services by providing career exploration, education and training options, and assistance with financial aid applications. With seven counselors based across Vermont, interested adults can schedule an appointment locally for this free service.