The following questions and answers address the discontinuation of the College of Charleston’s ROAR Scholars Program.

What is ROAR?

ROAR (which stands for “Reach – Overcome – Achieve Results”) served as an enhancement to existing academic support services provided to all students. As a TRIO program funded by the U.S. Department of Education, ROAR was restricted to students who met the federal definition of first-generation, low-income, and persons with disabilities. As a student support services program, ROAR was not designed to be an admissions program. The purpose of the program was to support student success and progress to degree once admitted.

Under the federal grant, approximately $50,000 in aid was disbursed to ROAR scholars each year. Roughly 30 students received grant aid each year with awards averaging $800 to $900 per semester. The funds were a combination of federal and institutional matching dollars. This grant aid was not scholarship support. The funds were used to bridge the gap between a student’s financial aid package and the cost of attendance. Most often, students applied for additional funding to pay for a meal plan or books.

What did the College do when the federal TRIO grant was not renewed?

In July 2015, upon learning of the U.S. Department of Education’s decision, the College’s Division of Academic Affairs worked diligently to restore federal funds to the program, since the College was the only four-year university in the Charleston region receiving a TRIO grant. Ultimately, the College was not successful in getting the funding reinstated, given the unique and highly specific conditions of the grant.

After that, President Glenn McConnell went to the College of Charleston Foundation Board of Directors to secure emergency funding to help extend the program for one year as well as to continue providing grant aid to these students for two years (through June 2017). College funds also were used to extend the program after the federal grant was exhausted.

Is the ROAR being discontinued?

Yes, ROAR is being discontinued because it was created as part of the U.S. Department of Education TRIO Student Support Services grant. Without that federal funding, the program cannot continue.

How will ROAR students be supported moving forward?

The College of Charleston already provides many of the services previously provided to ROAR students in other areas across campus. ROAR students will continue to receive all of the same services and support, including academic tutoring, advising, assistance in securing financial aid and scholarships as well as help for students applying to graduate or professional school.

After this spring semester, former ROAR students will be supported by other campus offices, which, like ROAR, are dedicated to academic success and social integration. These support resources include the Office of Academic Experience, Center for Student Learning, the Academic Advising and Planning Center, the Career Center, and the Center for Disability Services, among others. We will work with each current ROAR student to create an individualized plan for that student’s continuing support.

What is the College doing to promote and support diversity on campus?

The College is always exploring new initiatives that can better support our students.

The College does have programming and support services that overlap with ROAR’s mission, such as the Coca-Cola First Generation Scholars Program, SPECTRA (a summer bridge program that is geared for students of color and first-generation students) and SCAMP (an enrichment, four-year program for minorities and first-generation students majoring in science disciplines).

The College is also piloting the Top 10 Percent Program, which promotes access to higher education among underrepresented and underserved populations in South Carolina. Students attending public high schools in Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Colleton, Dorchester, Orangeburg and Williamsburg counties are eligible for admission beginning in fall 2016. Students in this program will receive specialized services from support offices, peer mentors and additional faculty advisors and preferred access to special events and professional development opportunities.

What’s next?

The College is working to provide the same high-level support services to ROAR students through other areas on campus. Many of these existing units are equipped and trained to support and tend to the unique and special needs of underrepresented populations.

The College of Charleston is committed to supporting first-generation students, low-income students and students with disabilities. The College’s commitment to this population of students will never waver, even though we are unable to continue this particular program at this time. The College of Charleston offers many other campus support services, from tutoring and advising to mentoring and disability assistance, which will ensure that these students continue to succeed academically and socially.

Our campus will always be open to any qualified student, and the entire campus community is here to help and support all students as they identify their unique talents, reach their fullest potential and become leaders in their fields and professions.