LOUISVILLE, KY – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced today that Western Kentucky University (WKU) has received a $236,900 competitive grant which will allow WKU to continue providing college admission and financial aid counseling to low-income students in several Kentucky counties. The funding was awarded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Educational Opportunity Centers TRIO grant program.

“I was pleased to work with Western Kentucky University to support this important program,” Senator McConnell said. “The funding will be used by WKU to continue to provide counseling and financial assistance to low-income students in an effort to help them overcome barriers to obtaining quality higher education and help them as they prepare to enter the workforce.”

Charlene Manco, Director of the WKU’s Educational Opportunity Centers TRIO Projects, said, “The WKU Educational Opportunity Centers Office (EOC) was pleased to hear of the refunding of its EOC TRIO Project for another five years. With this continued funding WKU will provide 1,000 nontraditional adults academic help for returning to the workforce each year. We know that the support provided by Senator McConnell was instrumental in this refunding. It is support from Kentucky's political leaders and Community leaders that help the project continue the vital work of assisting low-income nontraditional adults within a ten county target area.”

The target counties are Allen, Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Hart, Logan, Metcalfe, Monroe, Simpson, and Warren.