MCC awarded grant funding for Educational Opportunity Center

McLennan Community College will receive $232,050 in funding per year for five years from the U.S. Department of Education TRIO program for the McLennan Educational Opportunity Center (MEOC) project.

Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC) provide counseling and information on college admissions and services to improve participants’ financial and economic literacy. Among the comprehensive services offered are academic and personal counseling, tutoring and mentoring, career workshops, postsecondary education information and opportunities, student financial assistance, and help in completing applications for college admissions. EOC programs offer services to a broad range of adult learners, including those who are limited English proficient, from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, individuals with disabilities, homeless individuals, youth aging out of the foster care system, and other disconnected students.

EOC began in 1972 and is part of a set of federal educational opportunity outreach programs known as “TRIO,” which is authorized by the Higher Education Act to help low-income, first-generation students and students with disabilities succeed in higher education. In FY20 there were 139 Educational Opportunity Centers in America serving more than 192,000 adult learners nationwide.

“McLennan’s EOC will provide much-needed focused outreach, financial literacy, and educational guidance to the many adults in the McLennan and Falls County regions who need post-secondary education to find living wage jobs and improve their opportunities in a changing regional and national economy,” MCC President Dr. Johnette McKown said. “This effort is consistent with statewide and local efforts to increase the education attainment level of Central Texas.”

The new funding will provide salaries for a full-time project director and two transition specialists. The MEOC will be the College’s third TRIO-funded program including Student Support Services and Upward Bound.

For more information, contact Director of Admissions & Recruitment Karen Clark at (254) 299-8689 or kclark@mclennan.edu.