Aida Martinez-Freeman has been named director of the Office of TRIO Programs at NDSU.
Martinez-Freeman will continue to serve as a project director for Student Support Services and is a doctoral student in occupational and adult education.
“We are thrilled to have Aida lead the Office of TRIO Programs,” said Laura Oster-Aaland, interim assistant dean for enrollment management. “Aida has the necessary skills and ability to effectively lead this office, but most importantly, she has a heart-felt commitment to serving students and helping them achieve their dreams through higher education.”
Martinez-Freeman has been international student adviser and assistant director of the Office of Intercultural Affairs at Concordia College and director of the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Program at the University of Minnesota-Morris.
NDSU has three federal TRIO grant programs that focus on students from disadvantaged backgrounds and students with disabilities, and a state-funded initiative:
· McNair Scholars Program prepares upper-division undergraduate students for graduate education by engaging them with a faculty mentor.
· Student Support Services provides academic mentoring, tutoring and instruction for currently enrolled undergraduate students.
· High School Upward Bound helps high school students build the academic and life skills necessary to succeed in higher education.
· Veteran’s Educational Training Program provides educational refreshment courses, academic guidance and referrals to access higher education for veterans in need.
The mission of TRIO is to promote the educational opportunities of eligible students whose aspirations, participation and achievement of post-secondary academic goals may be at risk. The Office of TRIO Programs is part of the Enrollment Management Unit in the Division of Student Affairs.
Martinez-Freeman earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Michigan State University and a master’s in college student affairs administration at Indiana University.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve NDSU’s TRIO Programs in this new leadership capacity,” Martinez-Freeman said. “As a former participant in TRIO Student Support Services and the McNair Program at Michigan State University, I’m humbled to serve TRIO and the Division of Student Affairs. I look forward to collaborating with many departments on campus. We have an exciting year ahead.”
NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.