PA TRIO

05/19/2026

💵💵 PA TRIO, we are close to completion of our Fair Share goal! Contributions made before June 30 will apply towards our goal for this year. Anyone who contributes will be recognized in the annual conference program and first-time donors will receive special recognition.

If you have questions, email Erik Austin at [email protected]

04/30/2026

Tomorrow is TRIO Nation!

Call your senators and representatives, regardless of your program, and let them know the Department of Education needs to RESCIND, REVISE, and REISSUE the Talent Search and EOC RFPs without a disruption in services.

PA TRIO…LET’S GOOOOOO! 👊🏼

04/27/2026

Rescind! Revise! Reissue!

Thank you to for sharing their students stories. This is why we are taking action this week.

04/24/2026

🗣️ Rest up PA TRIO because next week is going to be a battle.

With Talent Search RFPs due next week, and the Department of Education ignoring us and Congress, it’s time to get loud and get disruptive.

has declared next week as a TRIO Week of Action. Everyday next week is assigned to a TRIO program to call your US Representative and Senators.

Set you alerts, as we will be posting information all week long.

Like 👍🏼 share/repost 🔄 and spread the word 🗣️because we will need all our allies on campus and in the community next week.

03/27/2026

COE is hosting a Talent Search Grant Proposal Wrokshop on April 2 & 3. Registration for the workshop will close on Tuesday, March 31 at 4pm.

Register 🔗: https://coenet.org/conferences-events/virtual-proposal-writing-workshop-talent-search-2/

02/17/2026

Check out the inaugural issue of The Octagon, the monthly newsletter highlighting key updates, events, and initiatives from PA TRIO, MEAEOPP, and COE. Each edition will also spotlight the heart of our work—our current students, alumni, and dedicated TRIO warriors who keep our programs thriving, our students engaged, and their dreams within reach.

The newsletter will also be available on the PA TRIO Website.

08/27/2025

It's time to renew your program (or individual) membership in PA TRIO for the 2025 - 2026 Membership Year, which runs from July 1st - June 30th. With a renewed membership, you'll be able to receive reduced registration for the 53rd annual PA TRIO conference to be held September 30th - October 3rd at the Toftrees Golf Resort in State College, nominate your students for a PA TRIO scholarship, nominate an alum as a PA TRIO Achiever, and much more!
If you need a copy of the membership form, please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or (814) 472-3023. Hope to receive your completed membership form soon! 😊

07/02/2025

On Wednesday July 2, 2025, PennWest Cal U Upward Bound hosted the first TRIO UPWARD BOUND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE. (UB SEaDC). AJ Best from Cal U spearheaded this project. There were 6 Upward Bound programs in attendance and our keynote speaker was Angela Holy from COE. The students were able to attend 4 workshops in Time Management, Advocacy, Leadership, as well as Social Media stressors. This all day event was held at the Doubletree in Washington, PA

06/01/2025

Hi everyone, it’s Frank. Twenty Three years ago I accepted a position as an Academic Counselor for GECAC’s Trio Upward Bound program. Over the last two decades, I've had the opportunity to assist 1,000+ disadvantaged students to go on to college .

A few years later after I was named Upward Bound's director, we came under threat of elimination when Representative John Kasich, then-chairman of the House Budget Appropriations Committee, called for the elimination of Upward Bound. While the TRIO community overcame that threat and others during the Bush Administration, our programs are now under serious attack again as President Trump has called for the elimination of all TRIO programs in his proposed 2026 - 2027 budget last month.

In addition to that threat, on Friday, the U.S. Department of Education randomly eliminated three Upward Bound programs, giving their staff less than 48 hours notice before the programs were shuttered and providing no explanation for its decision.

If you benefitted from Upward Bound while you were in high school, if you worked with our program while you were in college, if you taught with UB, or if you just value the work that I've dedicated my professional life to, I ask that you (repeatedly) contact your representative and both of your senators to express your support for TRIO programs (which include UB, Talent Search, Student Support Services, Upward Bound Math/Science, Educational Opportunity Centers, and McNair programs) and ask them to fund and protect these important programs which - since 1966 - have helped millions of disadvantaged students (like me) earn their college degree. Please ask your spouse, your parents, your children, your siblings, your friends and neighbors, etc. to contact your congressional reps, too.

Not sure how to contact your congressional representatives? You can find them and their contact info at https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member I would greatly appreciate your support of our work, which I consider to be one of my vocations in life. Thanks in advance for your support!

Find your members of Congress by typing in your address on Congress.gov.

04/03/2025

Welcome to the University of Pennsylvania's Veterans Upward Bound who renewed their PA TRIO membership in March.
Thanks for your support of our state TRIO association! If anyone needs a 2024 - 2025 PA TRIO membership form, please let me know - I'd be happy to send it to you.