Robertson to take helm at multi-state TRIO association
Scott Robertson, Assistant Dean of Students for TRIO Programs and SSS Director at WVU Tech, was sworn in as president of the Mid-Eastern Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel during the organization’s 2017 conference in Charleston, West Virginia.
MEAEOPP is a regional association for professionals who administer or work in TRIO programs in Delaware, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. The organization provides professional development opportunities for staff as well as the tools to advocate for TRIO participants – middle school through college-aged students who qualify as low-income, are first-generation or have disabilities.
As president, Robertson will serve as the region’s representative on the Council for Opportunity in Education Board. He will help direct and drive the mission of MEAEOPP, speak at events throughout the region and help to find, create and develop opportunities for the TRIO target population.
Robertson, a former student of multiple TRIO programs, said he’s excited to help pay it forward.
“As a TRIO Upward Bound and TRIO Student Support Services alumnus, serving in this role allows me to speak up for those students who we serve and to share my own story. Without those summers in the UB program or the assistance in college, I would not be where I am today,” he said.
Robertson’s term begins on October 1 and will run until the end of September, 2018. During his tenure, he hopes to help MEAEOPP continue its legacy of being a thought leader in educational access. He also plans to push more stories of program beneficiaries into the spotlight in an effort to highlight the value of TRIO programming.
“Working closely with the MEAEOPP Board and the region, I hope that we are able to collect alumni stories and share them with the general public to show the impact our programs have across the country,” he said.
As overseer of WVU Tech’s TRIO programs, he said he’s also excited to see what being on the forefront of the national TRIO conversation can do for his own programs.
“Tech has a long commitment of supporting TRIO-eligible population since the programs have been campus,” he said. “Serving as the conduit between the programs and the regional association allows the institution to be part of the discussion for first-generation, low-income and/or students with disabilities.”
View photos from the conference and swearing-in ceremony on Flickr:
