History and Purpose of National TRIO Day

Congress enacted National TRiO Day in 1986  to recognize the achievements  of the TRiO Programs and their role in advancing equal opportunity in postsecondary education.  The resolution declared,  that February 26th be dedicated as, “National TRiO Day, a day on which the nation is asked to turn its attention to the needs of disadvantaged young people and adults aspiring to improve their lives, to the investment necessary if they are to become contributing citizens of this country, and to the talent which will be wasted if that investment is not made.”

The history of TRiO Programs begins with the establishment of Upward Bound (UB) under the Economic Opportunity Act in 1964 in response to the administration’s War on Poverty.  Educational Talent Search (ETS), the second outreach program was created as part of the Higher Education Act of 1965.  In 1968, Student Support Services (SSS) was authorized by the Higher Education Amendments and became the third in a series of educational opportunity programs and the term TRiO was coined to describe these three federal programs.

Over the years, the TRiO Programs have been expanded and improved to provide a wider range of services and to reach more students who need assistance.  Since the Higher Education Amendment of 1972 six additional TRiO Programs have been authorized,

• 1972 Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) and Veterans Upward Bound (VUB)
• 1976 Training Programs for Federal TRiO Programs (Training Grant)
• 1986 Ronald E. McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program  (McNair)
• 1990 Upward Bound Math Science Program (UBMS)
• 1998 TRiO Dissemination Partnership Program (Dissemination Grant)

Each year, formal celebrations of the accomplishments of TRiO programs known as National TRIO Day Celebrations  are held during the month of February throughout the USA, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands. TRiO programs are currently serving over 873,000 thousand  low income or disabled students.  These programs have proven to be the decisive factor in the successful completion of a higher education for those in most need. In fact, since 1965 an estimated 2.2 million students have graduated from college with the special assistance and support of our nation's TRiO Programs.

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