The Federal TRIO Programs give students of all backgrounds opportunities to access higher education. Through a variety of different programs, TRIO aims to support students who have been historically marginalized in their educational experiences.
Last semester, Suffolk’s McNair Scholars program faced an unknown future. As the Trump administration cut funding to the Department of Education, students and faculty alike worried about the impacts they may soon face.
On Sept. 24, Suffolk’s McNair Scholar’s LinkedIn page announced that the program had been renewed for another year.
The McNair Scholars is a federal TRIO program that provides mentorship and opportunities for students of disadvantaged backgrounds to access and navigate graduate school.
Bryan Landgren, the director of Suffolk’s McNair Program, said in a post on LinkedIn that the program received a Grant Award Notification for the 2025-26 year and therefore could continue to operate.
“As someone who works alongside these extraordinary students, I can’t overstate how much their persistence, passion and pride in this program matter,” Landgren said in the post. “They are the heartbeat of McNair, and this is a direct result of their advocacy.”
Another TRIO program at Suffolk, Veterans Upward Bond, faced a different fate.
Suffolk’s Office of the Provost sent an email to community members Sept. 29 announcing that while the McNair program would continue in the coming year, VUB would not continue and will conclude its services effective Sept. 30.
VUB has supported 125 veterans annually for nearly 20 years and has been the only federally funded pre-college pathway for veterans in Massachusetts since 2017, according to the email.
The university said that it has filed a formal request for reconsideration and is in communication with its congressional delegation.
Upward Bound, a different TRIO program, was also renewed for this year and the university will continue its long-standing partnership with TechBoston Academy to help first-generation and income-eligible high school students prepare for higher education.
“The fight for educational equity and upward mobility isn’t over,” Landgren said in his LinkedIn post. “But victories like this, earned by student voices, show that change is possible when we speak up, act and refuse to be silent. To those who lost their programs, we are fighting harder than ever for you.”
