TRIO is our nation's commitment to the dream of education for all Americans, regardless of race, ethnic background or economic circumstances.
IA-MAEOPP is a part of the Mid-America Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (MAEOPP) which represents 10 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
Download the 2008 TRiO Fact Book here
Download the 2007 TRiO Fact Book here
What is TRiO?
What is TRiO?
TRiO equals educational opportunity for low-income, first generation, and disabled Americans.
Our nation has asserted a commitment to providing educational opportunity for all Americans regardless of race, ethnic background, or economic circumstances.
Beginning with the creation of Upward Bound through the Higher Education Act of 1965, Congress has committed to helping lowincome Americans enter and graduate from college. While student financial aid programs help students overcome financial barriers to higher education, TRiO programs help students overcome class, social, and cultural barriers to higher education.
The Federal TRiO Programs:
• Upward Bound
• Educational Talent Search
• Student Support Services
• Educational Opportunity Centers
• Upward Bound Math and Science
• Veterans’ Upward Bound
• Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement
Although the name “TRiO” initially came into use after the first three programs were authorized under the Higher Education Act, there are currently seven distinct programs that comprise the federal TRiO programs. Each plays a unique role in providing educational opportunity for eligible students.
History of MAEOPP
In the fall of 1972 a group of Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and TRIO directors met at the Abbey Resort in Fontana, Wisconsin for the first annual Regional Conference of TRIO personnel in Region V. This group formed the Region V Advisory Council. From the beginning this group was interested in a multicultural and a gender representation in its leadership.
From 1972-1974, the Regional Advisory Council provided leadership for equal educational opportunity within the region. The council sought to demonstrate that EOP/TRIO directors, if organized, could have an impact on educational policies thereby affecting access, choice, and persistence for student from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Council sought not only to change policy and discover strategies for advancing equal educational opportunity, but to develop better administrators, managers and leaders. In 1974, the members of the EOP/TRIO community once again gathered at the Abbey to reflect upon its history, to examine its present situation, and determine its future. This moment became historic because it marked the culmination of the process—an end to the Region V Advisory Council—and the beginning of the birth of the Mid-America Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (MAEOPP). It was at this annual conference that the Constitution was adopted and Arnold Mitchem selected as the first President.
The original Region V states composed the geographical area of MAEOPP: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. The addition of Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska (MO-KAN-NE) in 1979 nearly doubled the size of the geographical area. This also led to a diversification of MAEOPP, serving not only the urban poor, mostly African-American and Hispanic individuals, but also the rural poor, increasingly non-black and female individuals. MAEOPP now represented Regions V and VII and became the second largest EOP/TRIO association in the United States.
MAEOPP has continued to establish new elements that put it at the vanguard of educational opportunity associations. Over the years there has been the establishment of the MAEOPP Educational Foundation (MEF), Emerging Leaders Institute (ELI), TRIO Achievers, MAEOPP Institute for Advancement of Leadership and Program Management, MAEOPP Training Grants, MAEOPP Archives and several scholarships. The number of TRIO Programs in the region has expanded, meeting the needs of an increasingly diverse student population. MAEOPP has continued to support the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) by meeting its Fair Share and will continue to develop administrators and leaders ready to meet the challenges of the new millennium.
History of Iowa MAEOPP
The first program, Upward Bound, was created by the 1964 Economic Opportunity Act and was followed by Talent Search, funded by the 1965 Higher Education Act. The authorization of Student Support Services by the 1968 Higher Education Act amendments prompted the TRIO label which continues to be used today despite the addition of several other programs for low income first generation high school and college students.
The initial discussion for establishing an Iowa Professional Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel began in 1976. A steering committee was established to draft and modify a constitution that could be utilized to establish an Iowa Chapter of the Mid-America Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel (MAEOPP). The members of the steering committee included the following: Edward Banfield, Willie Criddle, George Garcia, Norris Hart, Patrick Jamison, and M. Colleen Jones. On September 13, 1977, the constitution was ratified by a group of concerned student personnel professionals. That constitution formed the organization's base for the Iowa Chapter of the Mid-America Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel. On October 17, 1977, the Iowa chapter elected eight persons to serve as officers for the 1977-78 year. On October 24, the required membership of 25 was achieved. On November 5, 1977, a petition for chapter status, dues, membership, and official roster were presented to the Board of Directors of MAEOPP. The Iowa Chapter was accepted. Eighteen members of the Iowa Chapter attended the Third Annual Meeting of MAEOPP at the Abbey on Lake Geneva in Fontana, WI, and were accepted into membership November 6-9, 1977.