Trocaire College Community Impact Report

COMMUNITY
IMPACT
REPORT
2021–2023

CAREERS OF ACHIEVEMENT, LIVES OF PURPOSE.
TROCAIRE IS THE COLLEGE WHERE
LIVES ARE TRANSFORMED. OUR
STUDENTS WILL BE GRADUATES
OF CHOICE IN CAREER-ORIENTED
PROFESSIONS.
Programs: Cybersecurity • Data Analytics • Diagnostic Medical Sonography
Informatics • Healthcare Management • Massage Therapy • Medical Assisting

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
Trocaire College is known as an opportunity college, which refers to our unique status as an
institution that can help students facing considerable challenges discover their career passions,
obtain their degrees successfully and go out into the world to make a positive, tangible impact.
We empower our students to change their trajectories in life, and they go on to empower the
Buffalo-Niagara region.
Trocaire prepares students for careers in the high-demand fields of healthcare, business and
technology. We listen to local industry and community leaders, review the economic landscape
and respond accordingly in what we offer and how. Our students are the solution to many of
the region’s challenges—a skilled, confident and compassionate workforce, looking to stay,
thrive and make a difference in Western New York.
Nontraditional is the norm at Trocaire. Most of our students are older, seeking a new start after
many years in a less fulfilling career; some are fresh out of high school, ready to focus on college
and enter the world of work. They are often first-generation college students, parents and heads
of households; they are holding down multiple jobs, even as they pursue a degree.
Trocaire College is there for them through these challenges—supporting them, finding solutions
and helping to shepherd these persistent, hard-working and determined individuals through to
graduation. From there, they go out and support the community in turn.
In these pages, you’ll find more information about how Trocaire impacts Western New York,
from the grants we obtain to support our students in innovative ways to the employers we
steadily supply with well-trained professionals. We continued these efforts without pause
during the pandemic, finding creative ways to sustain our students and employees.
We’re proud of the positive impact Trocaire has on the greater Buffalo region. We have a
small physical footprint, but our influence is significant. I invite you to learn more—and get
involved yourself.
Echocardiography • General Studies • Healthcare
Thank you for joining us in this opportunity.
Nursing • Radiologic Technology • Surgical Technology
Bassam M. Deeb, Ph.D.
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ECONOMIC IMPACT
$52.9 million. That’s Trocaire College’s direct and indirect economic
impact to the Buffalo Niagara region economy in 2019.
Between our campus in South Buffalo and the Trocaire Achievement Complex
in Williamsville, Trocaire employs more than 300 people—dedicated educators,
administrators and staff members, all committed to providing the best service
and experience possible.
That dedication continued through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Trocaire utilized $2.3 million in federal Payroll Protection Program funds and was
able to ensure that not a single employee was furloughed or laid off, which means
the loan will be forgiven in full.
In addition, Trocaire shared the majority of its federal COVID relief funds directly
with students in the form of cash payments, to lessen the financial impact of
transitioning to a remote learning experience during the height of the pandemic.
The remaining funds were used to strengthen the college’s digital capabilities
and cover costs incurred when the college transitioned to fully remote delivery in
spring 2020.
Trocaire is proud to be a major Western New York employer as we continue our
work graduating hundreds of students a year to go out and contribute to the
local workforce.
$52.9
MILLION OF ECONOMIC IMPACT*
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*Study conducted by the Center for Governmental Research in Rochester, NY, on behalf of the Commission on Independent
Colleges and Universities (CICU) in New York.

STUDENTS
We hear it again and again: There is just something different about
Trocaire. A unique mix of academics, careers, community and heritage
defines our student experience. These differentiators allow us to nurture
the whole person while preparing students for the professional careers
awaiting them.
The college’s welcoming, supportive atmosphere paired with challenging and
fulfilling academic programs attract a unique student body.
Trocaire students are resilient and strong—they have already faced many obstacles
to pursue a college degree. We help them overcome barriers to graduate and
obtain their dream career, which allows them to exceed the median household
income and lift their families above the poverty line.
A sincere sense of gratitude pervades throughout. In fact, service hours in the
local community are an integral part of Trocaire, allowing our students to give back
and fully experience the Mercy mission in action. The empathy nurtured through
experiential learning defines who they become as working professionals.
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ALUMNI
When Trocaire students graduate, they join an alumni family 11,000
strong and counting. Our alumni embody “compassion in action”; whether
they work in healthcare, business or technology, Trocaire grads heed the
call to care every day for their patients, customers and employers. They
are highly skilled, ethical and well prepared, and the passion that led them
to Trocaire empowers them to thrive in their chosen careers.
In a region where only 28% of the population has earned a bachelor’s degree
(compared to New York State’s 37%), there is an unmet need: educational
achievement. Our programs help close that gap and in doing so, catalyze Buffalo’s
resurgence, health and prosperity.
Trocaire alumni overwhelmingly stay in the area, enriching the very community
that nurtured them. In fact, over 90% of graduates from 2000–2020 live within a
60-mile radius of Buffalo. Their stories and backgrounds vary widely, but one thing
is always true: They are proud of what they do, and they are proud to call Trocaire
their alma mater.
To meet a few of our exceptional alumni, please visit:
trocaire.edu/spotlight
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*Towncharts.com, United States Demographics Data.

EMPLOYERS
Trocaire College has been educating Western New York’s workforce for
more than 60 years.
Our alumni are nurses, X-ray and surgical techs, massage therapists, IT and
business professionals. They greet you in public health clinics and private
practices, keep your data and personal information accurate and secure, care
for your loved ones at the end of their lives, and deliver your newborns when
they arrive in this world. They go on to hold leadership roles, shaping how care is
delivered in some of the region’s largest healthcare systems; they are on the front
lines, comforting a frightened patient or delivering lifesaving measures in
an emergency.
But don’t take it from us—Scores of local employers have hired Trocaire graduates
and consider them employees of choice. Read on for what two have to say.
We appreciate our academic partnership with Trocaire College and the caliber
of students we see from their different clinical programs. We welcome the
students and faculty into our system as we work together to prepare the next
generation of healthcare professionals, many of whom we recruit to become
permanent members of our Catholic Health family.
Steve Marks, PhD, MS, RN, Vice President Clinical Education and
Professional Development, Catholic Health
I welcome partnering with Trocaire’s Radiology Technology and Diagnostic
Medical Sonography programs for their clinical rotations, and I find myself only
hiring Trocaire graduates for technologist positions because I know the level of
education they receive and the standards they are held to. This is evident time
and again with each I have hired to join our Southtowns Radiology family.
Diana Iglewski, ’86, Office Manager and Women’s Imaging Manager,
Southtowns Radiology
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WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Workforce Development has many definitions. At Trocaire, it means
meeting the needs of the regional business community wherever and
whenever possible, while fulfilling our mission as an opportunity college
to reach out to underemployed, underserved and underrepresented
populations with transformational career training opportunities.
Trocaire offers industry-recognized certificates in fields such as phlebotomy and sterile
processing and distribution, which open the door in a matter of weeks to a sustaining
healthcare career. Our IT training programs position students to earn industry
certifications leading to high-demand employment and advancement opportunities.
We also provide leadership seminars and customizable training to employers;
solutions for online or in-person training; and local partnerships to make sure
Workforce Development students get the support and soft skills preparation that
will allow them to go on to thrive in the workplace.
At Trocaire, we are nimble in responding to the ever-changing priorities and needs
of the community.
In April 2020, we pivoted during the first hectic months of the COVID-19 pandemic
to help displaced workers transition to new careers in information technology with
a free, 4-week IT Career Exploration course. Additional IT career programs followed,
offering varied opportunities for Western New Yorkers to make a new start.
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Recent Partnerships
716 Ministries
Buffalo and Erie County Workforce
Development Consortium
Buffalo City Mission
Catholic Charities
Community Foundation for
Greater Buffalo
Empire State Development
Goodwill of Western New York
Harvest House/New Hope Education
International Institute of Buffalo
Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation
Tech Buffalo
United Way of Buffalo & Erie County
WNY Women’s Foundation

GRANT FUNDING
At Trocaire, we do all we can to support our students in and out of the
classroom. In fact, student success is the linchpin of our strategic plan.
However, we know we can’t—and shouldn’t—do it alone.
Trocaire proactively and vigorously applies for external support in the pursuit of
solving some of our community’s most pressing challenges—racial inequity in the
workplace, unemployment and underemployment, and the disparity of opportunities
for low-income and underrepresented populations.
In the 2020-2021 academic year alone, the college was awarded an astonishing
$2 million in grants, all to benefit Trocaire students and, by association, the
community at large. With these funds and partnerships, we are able to effect positive
change in a way not imaginable if we had not received this additional support.
We push the limits of what is thought possible for a small, student-focused
institution while making sure we put every dollar to its best use. As a result, we
have achieved extraordinary grant-seeking success on local, state and national levels.
$3.9=
MILLION
2016-2021 Grant Spotlight
$1.8 million
Nursing Workforce Diversity Grant, funded by the US Health Resources &
Services Administration (HRSA). These funds created the Pathways for
Nursing Success Program, which works to recruit, support, retain and graduate
nursing professionals from a minority background, with the goal of increasing
the diversity of the local healthcare workforce.
$1.3 million
US Department of Education’s Student Support Services Program. This
funding created Trocaire’s TRiO Program, which provides first-generation,
low-income and disabled students with the academic, social and career-based
tools that will help them achieve their goals, in and outside of the classroom.
$674,000
Empire State Development’s Round 2 Workforce Development Challenge.
This funding expanded Trocaire’s Career Reboot program, creating a model
for serving diverse populations and employer needs with a sustainable
information technology (IT) and cybersecurity talent pipeline.
$132,290
National Endowment for the Humanities. This funding will be used to build
a new Applied Ethics minor at Trocaire, supporting the application of ethical
decision making to help students create meaningful careers and be citizens of
the universal community in concert with the college’s mission. Trocaire was one
of only six community/2-year focused schools nationally to receive these funds.
$30,000
United Way of Buffalo and Erie County. These funds enhanced a cohort of
Trocaire’s 10-week Phlebotomy program to include free wrap-around supports
to participants, covering transportation, certification exam fees, and career
services like resume writing and job search skills.
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BOTTOM LINE
Trocaire College serves learners, who are determined to succeed, build
careers of achievement and lives of purpose right here in Western New
York. It’s been this way since our founding by the Sisters of Mercy in 1958.
Employers in Western New York and beyond seek out our alumni for their
exceptional character, skill and dedication. Trocaire-educated professionals can
be counted upon to work collaboratively, do their jobs well, and meet the unmet
need, wherever they may find it.
Our impact in the Buffalo area is strong and grows stronger with every welltrained,
Trocaire-educated professional who enters the local job market. Trocaire
changes the trajectories of our students’ lives, and they go on to influence our
community for the better.
We invite you to learn more about the
role you can play in this vital, changemaking
process. Contact our Office of
Institutional Advancement today.
institutional-advancement@trocaire.edu
716-827-4340
This is a truly transformative process at work,
and we’re proud to play a part in it.
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Careers of Achievement,
Lives of Purpose.
Main Campus
360 Choate Avenue
Buffalo, NY 14220
2262 Seneca Street
Buffalo, NY 14210
Trocaire Achievement Complex
6681 Transit Road
Williamsville, NY 14221
Office of Institutional Advancement
716-827-4340
Trocaire.edu