This paper utilizes archival research to examine the history of TRIO programs at a land-grant university from 1966 to 1976 in an effort to expand our field's historical examinations of programs designed to serve marginalized populations.The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 established Upward Bound as one part of the TRIO programs created as the “first national college access and retention programs to address the serious social and cultural barriers to education in America.” Composition courses typically play a key role in bridging these barriers and introducing students to the culture of the university but there is a gap in composition research concerning TRIO programs. By drawing attention to the implementation of TRIO programs and the record keeping practices surrounding them, I argue that the field has a critical need to reflect on the role these programs played (and continue to play) in their larger university cultures, curriculum, and programs.
