EOU Secures $1.09 Million Federal Grant to Expand TRIO Student Support

Eastern Oregon University reclaimed a piece of its student support infrastructure last fall when the U.S. Department of Education awarded the La Grande campus a five-year, $1.09 million grant to restore and expand its TRIO Student Support Services program, which the university had lost around the time of the pandemic.

The renewed funding covers academic advising, tutoring, mentoring, and financial aid guidance for first-generation students, low-income students, and students with disabilities. University leaders say the grant will deepen one-on-one support that has already helped participants persist and graduate, while reaching more students over the next five years.

Bennie Moses-Mesubed, associate vice president for strategic equity services, framed the program's return in terms of EOU's particular student population. "TRIO Student Support Services is meant to support first-generation, low income, students with disability, really looking at underserved populations," Moses-Mesubed said. "And with EOU being a rural campus, we know that a lot of our students qualify for this type of support and could really use it."

The path back to TRIO funding was deliberate. After losing the grant during the pandemic, EOU assembled a committee and hired a consultant to build a new program vision. That process included conversations with staff and administrators who had worked under the previous grant, examining what had worked, what had not, and where the program could improve. The Department of Education awarded EOU the grant in October 2025.

TRIO Student Support Services is part of the Federal TRIO Programs, a suite of federally funded initiatives designed to identify and assist individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. Unlike institutional block funding, the program requires eligible students to apply and be accepted individually at their campus.

TRIO Advisor Sam McCumber is among the staff already working to support students through the program at the La Grande campus. EOU officials are actively encouraging students who believe they may qualify to apply. The university can be reached at 541-962-3672 or 800-452-8639, and program information is available through EOU's website and social channels.