CSUSB Palm Desert Campus Grant To Serve Coachella Valley Students

Press release from CSUSB:

Nov. 22, 2021

An Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC) grant for the Coachella Valley was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to the Cal State San Bernardino, Palm Desert Campus.

As one of eight federally-funded TRIO programs targeted to serve and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs, the grant is funded for five years and will serve 850 students per year in the Coachella Valley, specifically in the cities of Palm Desert, Desert Hot Springs, Coachella, Palm Springs, Thermal and Mecca.

The purpose of the EOC program is to provide information regarding financial and academic assistance to individuals who desire a higher education; provide assistance to individuals in applying for admission to colleges and universities, including assistance in preparing necessary applications for use by admissions and financial aid officers; and provide information regarding financial and economic literacy to participants.

Services include academic coaching, individual advising, group workshops and providing referrals.

This is the first EOC project for CSUSB, but it joins other established and successful TRIO projects at the university. It is, however, the first CSUSB pre-college project established at the university’s Palm Desert Campus.

“We are delighted that with EOC, CSUSB will strengthen our pre-college presence in the Coachella Valley,” said Summer Steele, director of the California Student Opportunity & Access Program at Cal State San Bernardino. “The resources and partnerships developed to support EOC are indicative of our commitment to working with community stakeholders to improve educational and economic outcomes for the region.”

About PDC: The CSUSB Palm Desert Campus offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees, a doctorate in educational leadership, and teaching credentials and certificates. With more than 1,600 students, it is the Coachella Valley’s four-year public university and plays a vital role in educating and training the region’s growing population.

For more information about the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus, contact Mike Singer in the Office of Strategic Communication at msinger@csusb.edu or (760) 341-2883, ext. 78107, or visit the PDC website at www.csusb.edu/pdc.

This press release was produced by CSUSB. The views expressed here are the author's own.