Radford University Low-Income Students Get Leg Up with $1.2M Grant

Radford University Class of 2027Radford University in Virginia has received a $1.2 million grant from the state to support its Pell Grant-eligible and low-income students for four years. The funding will allow for the hiring of four new student support advocates, who will offer dedicated attention and guidance to these students as they pursue their degrees.

Dr. Susan P. Trageser, vice president for student affairs at Radford, said she and her team expect to hire these new advocate at the end of August, before the fall semester begins.

“Currently at Radford, we have a [student] population of 37% Pell-eligible students, and depending on the year, there’s usually 30% to 35% first-generation students as well. We’re located in Southwestern Virginia, a more rural area, and we recognize that our students and their families might not be as familiar with higher education,” said Trageser. “We’re committed to affordability and access, to do everything we can to make sure every student has the opportunity to attend an institution of higher education, earn a degree, and be successful in taking their first steps into a career path.”

The grant comes from the Pell Initiative for Virginia, created by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), which offers a total of $37,500,000 each year for two years to improve enrollment and retention rates for low-income and Pell-eligible students, said Lee Andes, interim director of finance policy and innovation and associate director for financial aid at SCHEV.

“Currently, all Virginia public four- and two-year institutions have received an award of varying sizes,” said Andes.

Radford received its hoped-for amount in the grant, said Trageser, as they carefully calculated what it would cost to hire and keep their student support advocates. Trageser said that, even though Radford is a mid-sized institution, it wants to provide the individualized support and counseling students usually experience at a smaller institution.

“We try to look at how we support our student populations, first generation, under-represented students, and Pell-eligible students, and the needs of the communities they’re from. In doing that, we have been moving more toward case management models of holistic approach,” said Trageser. “It’s an area where we’ve identified we can do more by having dedicated professionals that serve as a one-stop point-of-contact, serving basic needs, academic needs, engagement, sense of belonging, and making sure they get connected to the appropriate resources and opportunities across campus.”