Aida Martinez-Freeman, project director for student support services, and Kris Mickelson, project director for Upward Bound, will present “A TRIO Best Practice: Collaboration Among NDSU TRIO Programs for Effective and Supportive Services for Students” at the Council for Opportunity in Education’s 30th annual conference Sept. 25-28 in Washington, D.C. The conference’s lead topic is America’s Future – The Role of Education in our National Security.

“What an amazing opportunity to share with our TRIO colleagues the experiences and collaborative efforts here at NDSU,” Mickelson said.

“The selection of our proposal by COE serves as a national recognition of NDSU’s TRIO Programs’ accomplishments and continued commitment to ensuring that each and every student we serve receives the finest possible support services,” Martinez-Freeman said.

Lucy Jones, former Council for Opportunity in Education Board chair said project collaborations can be powerful tools to enhance the supportive atmosphere crucial to TRIO participants’ success. “The development of a collaboration model at NDSU has not only enhanced each TRIO program but, more importantly, has benefited each program’s participants,” Jones said. “This workshop will help TRIO staff ‘uncover the secrets’ of a successful collaborative model that guides students through a holistic supportive education process, develops a better understanding of participants’ needs and TRIO programs’ missions and enhances the building of partnerships from organizations outside of TRIO and the campus.”