SUNO talent search head elected president of regional association

The Southwest Association of Student Assistance Programs (SWASAP) elected Ruth W. Johnson as President-Elect for the November 2007 to November 2008 term. SWASAP is the regional association of TRIO professionals from Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Johnson is the director of the Southern University at New Orleans Educational Talent Search Program.

The Federal TRIO Programs are educational opportunity outreach programs designed to motivate and support students from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO includes six outreach and support programs targeted to serve and assist low-income, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post-baccalaureate programs.

These Programs are funded under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and are referred to as the TRIO Programs (initially just three programs).

Johnson has served the Louisiana Association of Student Assistance Programs (LASAP) as state president and is currently a member of the College Goal Sunday Steering Committee with the Louisiana Office of Financial Student Assistance. She also is a member of the national board of directors for the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) in Washington, D.C.

The Purpose of SWASAP is to advance and defend the ideal of equal educational opportunity for all TRIO eligible individuals by providing its members the guidance and support needed to foster those activities necessary to cause the target population to persist in achieving their educational goals. SWASAP is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, regional association whose purpose is to advance and defend the idea of educational opportunity for all TRIO eligible individuals.

SWASAP provides, to its members, the guidance and support needed to foster those activities necessary to enable the target population to persist in achieving their educational goals. The U.S. Education Department is the primary source of funding for all TRIO Programs.