MU Summer 2024
Bonnie Bailey
Director, Student Support Services TRIO Program
Education and career background:
• Three-time Marshall graduate, B.A. and M.A. in Mental Health Counseling, Ed.S. in Counseling
• Started as a Student Support Services Program counselor in 2005 and became the program director in 2008
• W.V. Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
• W.V. Approved Licensed Professional Supervisor (ALPS)
• Mental Health Consultant for Early Head Start and Head Start Program
• Adjunct Instructor for Counseling Program
The TRIO Program is a federally funded grant that brings $1.7 million to Marshall to serve 200 income-eligible and first-generation undergraduate students, helping them overcome barriers to higher education, including class, social, academic and cultural challenges.
What do you do?
Our program ensures that students receive personalized academic advising, career counseling and support services tailored to their needs. Services involve helping students select courses, navigate academic challenges and explore career options, and connecting them to the appropriate resources.
We help them understand and apply for financial aid, scholarships and other financial assistance. We also advocate, collaborate and network to help students utilize the services, resources and people that Marshall University provides.
I oversee the operations and implementation of the program that provides academic and support services to eligible students. I also write for our grant every five years to ensure continued funding. My role is multifaceted, with administrative and managerial responsibilities and a student caseload.
What do you hope is the impact of your work?
As a first-generation college student, it has been a privilege to support and guide students in the same program I attended in college years ago.
I hope the students I have helped believe that education is not merely a means to an end, but a lifelong journey that continues to unfold in every facet of life. No matter the educational avenue, there are always opportunities to expand our knowledge and perspective.
While numbers and statistics in our program are valuable, I hope that my work’s impact is not measured solely in our program achievements but recognized through the hearts of the students I have helped on their journey.
What are your favorite Marshall moments?
My favorite Marshall moments include when former students return to visit with their family two, five, even 10 years later. It’s also rewarding to see a student who has struggled and does not believe they should be here go on to graduate and continue to graduate school; and I enjoy taking students to Washington, D.C., to advocate for funding for TRIO Programs and witnessing how the experience opens them up to new things.
While our program has a 96% retention rate and a 76% graduation rate, some of our other successes include launching Marshall University’s National First-Gen Day Celebration for the past five years and assisting in creating a First-Gen website and a First-Gen Honor Society.
Based on your work, what do you know that you wish everyone knew?
Three things: One is that the wizard behind the curtain is the community of departments and folks on campus who help us serve our students better. I am very blessed to have their support of our program and students.
Two: I have witnessed students achieve more success through their diligent efforts to earn rewards such as scholarships, waivers, etc., rather than relying solely on handouts before they do the work. Working to get paid produces better results than paying before working.
And three: I hope all students understand that four years is better than 40. This means that the struggles students experience in their college years will end, and their education will help them prosper. But quitting school can make you struggle for years to come.
