SFCC aims to help eligible students

South Florida Community College received a $1.1 million federal grant to provide support services to low-income, first generation in college, disabled students and students in need of academic assistance.

Letters went out Thursday to students eligible for assistance.

SFCC Vice President for Educational and Student Services Leana Revell said the college plans to serve at least 160 students through the Student Support Services project.

Close to 600 students are eligible for the services, but not all of them will want to participate, she added.

Funding for the project, which will include three additional full-time staff, started Sept. 1.

The college is hoping to have a program coordinator and administrative assistant in place by Oct. 1 and a director on board by the middle of October, Revell said.

"We should have the project up and beginning this fall," she said.

Along with the new staff, the grant for the five-year project will fund student tutors, online tutoring support, staff computers and equipment and expenses to host a university fair at SFCC and support student trips to four-year transfer insititutions.

Revell noted that students don't always have someone to help them learn about what the expectations are for being a college student.

"So we are going to take anyone who is a first generation student and we are gong to provide them with additional advising and counseling and some additional tutoring and other academic enrichment kinds of experiences right up front so that they will have a better opportunity to succeed," she said.

Students who participate in these type of programs are twice as likely to achieve their academic goals and actually graduate from college, Revell said.