Saint Elizabeth University awarded $1.4 million federal grant to expand student support services
FLORHAM PARK BOROUGH, N.J. (Morris County) — Saint Elizabeth University (SEU) has been awarded a prestigious federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education to fund a TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) Project that will help students overcome barriers to success in higher education.
The five-year, $1.4 million award will enable SEU to provide consistent and comprehensive academic and personal support to eligible students, giving them the tools, resources, and confidence to persist, thrive, and graduate.
The TRIO Student Support Services Project will serve 140 students each year, offering tutoring, individualized advising, and financial aid guidance, as well as assistance with graduate school applications, financial literacy education, and other forms of holistic support. Roughly 75 percent of SEU undergraduates meet the federal eligibility criteria for participation, university officials said.
“This award is both a recognition of the critical need at Saint Elizabeth University and a powerful affirmation of our mission,” said Dr. Gary B. Crosby, Ph.D., president of Saint Elizabeth University. “With more than three-quarters of our undergraduates eligible for Student Support Services, this grant equips us to meet our students where they are and help them achieve their full potential. It is about more than academic support, it is about transforming lives.”
The initiative focuses on three key goals: year-to-year persistence or graduation, maintaining good academic standing, and graduating within six years. Each objective is supported by a robust service plan involving targeted recruitment, academic and personal programming, and continuous evaluation to ensure accountability and effectiveness.
“The TRIO Student Support Services Project represents a comprehensive, research-based strategy to improve persistence, retention, and graduation rates among our most vulnerable student populations,” said Dr. Anthony B. Santamaria, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “We are grateful for this opportunity to deepen our commitment to student success and to ensure that higher education remains both accessible and impactful.”
The project also aligns with federal priorities aimed at increasing postsecondary attainment, reducing college costs through seamless transfer pathways, and improving data collection systems to track student outcomes, transparency, and institutional improvement.
For Saint Elizabeth University, which has long championed access, affordability, and opportunity in higher education, the grant strengthens its historic mission to prepare students for professional success and lives of leadership and service.
