A Pathway to Excellence

UW’s Student Educational Opportunity office supports student success.

By UW student intern Ryan Luethje

Every year, the University of Wyoming welcomes 1,400-plus new students to campus. Unfortunately, some students experience financial constraints due to socioeconomic status or lack of a college-going tradition due to a first-generation college background. To address this disparity, the U.S. Department of Education funds TRIO programs such as Student Success Services (SSS) and the McNair Scholars Program, both housed in Student Educational Opportunity (SEO). These programs have grown markedly since being initially funded at UW and have proven instrumental in helping these student groups achieve college success.

About Student Educational Opportunity

SEO programs center on assisting students in succeeding and graduating from UW and primarily serve underrepresented students who come from limited-income first-generation backgrounds as well as students with disabilities. Associate Director Michael Wade says, “The cool thing about SEO is that all our services are free. We offer personalized relationship-based advising to foster student success, leverage financial aid and scholarships to reduce costs and ensure students stay on track to graduate on time. Additionally, we help our students find their place at UW through on-campus activities and the utilization of external resources. Essentially, SEO is a hub for individualized, relationship-based, holistic advising and advocacy that helps students thrive at UW.”

About McNair Scholars Program

The McNair Scholars program is designed to prepare undergraduate students from underrepresented communities for doctoral studies. Students in both SSS and McNair receive individual free tutoring. McNair Scholars also conduct undergraduate research.

Since 1998, nearly 60 UW McNair students have earned their doctoral degrees in a wide range of fields, including sociology, psychology, nursing, electrical engineering, chemistry, immunology, music and education.

A Strong Legacy

Mathematics professor Fuji Adachi was the very first UW director of SEO and is famous for coining the term “first-generation” in 1979. The term refers to students whose parents did not attend college. Adachi also testified before Congress to help secure crucial nationwide funding for TRIO programs through the renewal of the Higher Education Act in 1980.

Current Director Pilar Flores says that, in relation to college, “Lack of knowledge and comfort among first-gen families coupled with financial constraints and difficulty envisioning having discretionary income for college underscores the necessity of these programs.”

SEO has grown from serving 1,507 students annually at UW and statewide in 1990 to 5,059 in 2020.

About Student Success Services

SSS serves up to 230 UW students each year and provides numerous benefits, the greatest of which is the assignment of a personal adviser for a student’s entire time at UW. This adviser plays a crucial role in teaching students critical time management skills and other practices conducive to their college and lifelong success.

Recent data show that the annual retention rate for SSS-eligible UW students who were not served by SSS was 63%. However, when these students received support, the rate increased to 83%. Similarly, the six-year graduation rate for SSS-eligible UW students who were not served was 34%, but when these students received support, the rate surged to 60%.

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