TRIO Programs Face a Critical Crossroads: Why your voice matters now more than ever

CeO’s impact on UW-Madison stretches over three decades and has built an amazing legacy of alumni, scholars, and staff. Unfortunately, the U.S. Department of Education is taking actions that could fundamentally dismantle TRIO programs—including CeO.

The DoE’s proposed changes will redirect a program built on college access and student success toward a narrowly defined workforce development model. This is not a refinement—it is a redirection that threatens the very mission TRIO has carried for decades.

If these changes move forward, the consequences will be severe:

• Hundreds of TRIO programs could lose funding—immediately and permanently
• Entire regions of the country could be left without access to TRIO services
• Thousands of students—students just like you once were—could lose the support that made your own success possible.