DURANT, Okla. – Teriki Barnes, director of the TRIO Educational Opportunity Center at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, has been elected to the presidential rotation of the Southwest Association of Student Assistance Programs (SWASAP), as announced at the association’s recent conference in New Orleans, La.
Barnes will serve as president-elect for one year, followed by SWASAP president for one year, then past president for a year.
SWASAP is a five-state regional association made up of TRIO professionals from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and Texas. Its purpose is to advance and defend the ideal of educational opportunity for all TRIO-eligible individuals. SWASAP provides its members with guidance and support needed to foster those activities necessary to enable the target population to persist in achieving their educational goals. SWASAP was the first regional TRIO association to form in 1972, with nine other regions across the country following suit.
Barnes will also serve on the board of directors for the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE). COE is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the expansion of college opportunities for low-income, first-generation students, and students with disabilities. Its membership includes more than 1,000 colleges and agencies, including Southeastern. Through its membership services, the Council works with colleges, universities, and agencies to help low-income students enter college and graduate.
Barnes serves as the Director of SE’s Educational Opportunity Center (EOC). She has been with Southeastern for 24 years, with 21 years of service in the EOC. The EOC is one of seven federal TRIO programs and is designed to assist low-income and first-generation adults who are pursuing a program of post-secondary education, and has been funded at Southeastern since 1991.
In addition to the new role as SWASAP President-Elect, Barnes also serves as the Oklahoma Division of Student Assistance (ODSA) Emerging Leaders Institute Co-Chair, and Vice President of the Walter O. Mason, Jr. Education Foundation.
