Future uncertain for Sauk Valley Community College’s TRIO program

DIXON – A program supporting some of the Sauk Valley’s most vulnerable college students for more than 25 years is facing uncertainty amid looming federal funding cuts.

Sauk Valley Community College’s TRIO Student Support Services is a nationwide federally funded initiative serving first-generation college students, individuals from low-income backgrounds and students with documented disabilities.

TRIO provides more than 200 SVCC students with individual academic advising, tutoring, textbook and technology lending, financial literacy and skills workshops, assistance with transferring to four-year universities and more.

TRIO Project Director Stephanie Jacobs said the program is funded through competitive grants from the U.S. Department of Education that schools must reapply for every five years.

In its fiscal 2026 budget, the Trump administration is proposing eliminating funding for all TRIO programs, calling them “a relic of the past.”

The president’s budget proposal outlines recommended spending and priorities for the next fiscal year, but Congress controls the actual process. Lawmakers use the proposal as a guide to create their own budget and pass 12 appropriations bills, which must be approved by both chambers and signed by the president to fund the government.

If the proposed TRIO cuts are part of the final bill, SVCC stands to lose $1.5 million over the next five years to support those students.

SVCC Vice President of Academics and Student Services Jon Madrell said that loss would be devastating.

“You’d have to restrategize everything on your own dollars, and that’s tough to come by right now,” Mandrell said. “To absorb those resources would be daunting. I don’t know that we would be able to put as much on the table as we do now.”

To be eligible for the program, students must meet one of three criteria:

• be a first-generation college student, meaning neither of their parents has a bachelor’s degree.
• meet income guidelines based on federal standards, determined by FAFSA eligibility
• have a documented disability

SVCC Vice President of Advancement Lori Cortez said 84% of SVCC students qualify as low-income and 90% are first-generation college students. Without TRIO’s support, she said, qualifying students statistically do not make it past their first semester of college.

“Our TRIO program has retention and graduation rates at triple the national community college norm for those students,” Cortez said. “So, when you take a look at our TRIO program and how effective it is compared to students at any other college or university, you’ll see that what we’re doing here, it actually works, and not just here at Sauk, but TRIO programs nationally.”

The SVCC administration has been reaching out to state politicians to fight for the program. Congressman Eric Sorensen provided Shaw Local with the following comments regarding the TRIO program.

“TRIO programs open the doors of opportunity for students who might not otherwise see college as an option, especially in rural communities like Dixon. As a member of the TRIO caucus, I am focused on improving higher education access for low-income, first-generation and disabled students,” Sorensen said. “Our district has one of the highest TRIO participation rates in the country, and cutting that program would mean eliminating critical support systems that help students stay on track, graduate and reach their full potential. I strongly oppose any attempt to pull the rug out from under these students. We should be investing in their futures, not turning our backs on them.”

For more information on the TRIO program or to apply, students can visit the TRIO office on campus or visit svcc.edu/trio.