Developing and Implementing Promising Practices and Programs for First-Generation College Students

As first-generation students gain greater access to higher education, faculty, and staff at colleges and universities must provide intentional engagement that supports their persistence and graduation. This book serves as a guidebook for higher education practitioners seeking to implement or enhance first-generation programming at their institutions. The chapters provide detailed descriptions of the development, implementation, and assessment of programs and practices intended to support the success of first-generation college students. Authors share insights on building allies, identifying and working through challenges, and applicable takeaways for implementing similar practices and programs at the reader's own institutions. Programming discussed in the book ranges in funding levels and includes activities such as faculty dinners, study abroad, bridge programs, living learning communities, peer mentoring, intrusive advising, and holistic well-being. This valuable resource helps higher education practitioners better support and position first-generation students for success.

Charmaine Troy is the inaugural First-Generation Program and Operations Manager at Georgia Tech, USA. Karen Jackson is an Assistant Professor of Education and Associate Dean for Advising Programs at Georgia Gwinnett College, USA. Ben Pearce is a Program Coordinator at Emory University, USA. Diana Rowe is a Senior Student Success Advisor at Georgia Gwinnet College, USA.

1. Laying the Foundation for Creating First-Generation Student Programming Part I: First Year Experiences 2. Utilizing Intrusive Advising to Support First-Generation College Students at the University of South Carolina Upstate [Kimberly Walker, Tiffany N. Hughes, and Kadaisha Miller] 3. University of Portland's Summer Launch Initiative [Matt Daily] 4. From Denied to the Dean's List: Program Design that Makes a Difference [Erin Kline and Jefferson Lee IV] 5. Developing First-Year Programming for First-Generation Students without A Budget: No Money, No Problem [Charmaine Troy, Ben Pearce, and Diana Rowe] Part II: Mentorship 6. Belonging and Well-being as Key Measures of Student Success: Promising Practices at University of Southern California's Topping Scholars Program [Trista Beard and Carina Gonzalez] 7. Capitalizing on Networks of Support: A Review of the Georgetown Scholars Program's Peer Mentor, Alumni Mentor, and Regional Network Programs [Yasamin "Yasi" Mahallaty and Albert Ramirez] 8. Faculty Mentoring Dinners: Facilitating High-Impact Practices [Malaphone Phommasa, Yasmine Dominguez-Whitehead, Angelica Caudillo, and Kari Weber] Part III: Learning Communities 9. 1st Gen Theme Community: Developing a Living-Learning Program for First-Year First-Generation College Students [Trebby L. Ellington] 10. Living Learning Communities for First-Year First-Generation Students [Kiley Moody, Gregory Eiselein, Rebeca Paz, Tamara Bauer, and Kevin Cook] Part IV: Exploration and Transition 11. Global Leadership for First-Generation Students: Implementing Custom Study Abroad Programs [Michelle L. Ashcraft and Lisa Lambert Snodgrass] 12. Getting Career Ready at UC Riverside: The ORBITS Program [Thomas Dickson, Charlie Rodnuson, and Elizabeth Montgomery] 13. First-Generation Transfer Students in an Honors College [Martha Enciso] 14. What We Learned from the Pandemic: Using Digital and Virtual Spaces to Support First-Generation College Students [Karen Jackson and Charmaine Troy]