UNLV will celebrate the success of the TRIO program in assisting low-income and disadvantaged students in improving their education with the National Trio Day 2002 Banquet set for Feb. 23.

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio will be the keynote speaker at the event.

Scheduled for 5 p.m., the banquet will take place in the ballroom of the Moyer Student Union on the UNLV campus. Those wishing to attend are asked to call 597-2545 in advance.

This year's banquet will honor several alumni of UNLV's TRIO programs. The honorees are Patricia I. Zozaya, director of UNLV's transfer services; Bryan K. Scott, Las Vegas deputy city attorney; Peggy J. Marlow, UNLV's associate director for academic enrichment; and Dr. Darvi C. Rahaman, pediatrician and assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Dignitaries expected to attend the event include U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.; U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev.; U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev.; Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates; Las Vegas City Councilman Lawrence Weekly; University and Community College System of Nevada Board of Regent Linda Howard, and UNLV President Carol C. Harter.

TRIO is the result of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and is designed to assist students with getting into and succeeding in college. At UNLV, the Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach houses several TRIO programs. Those programs include: Upward Bound; the Upward Bound Math/Science Center; Educational Talent Search; Student Support Services; and the Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Program. Thousands of UNLV students have been helped by TRIO programs at the university over the years.

For more information on TRIO programs at UNLV, call the TRIO office at 895-4777.