Rider University Hosts Inaugural First-gen Welcome Reception

First-generation Student & Family Welcome Reception

The entire Rider University community comes out over Labor Day Weekend for New Student Move-in and the kickoff to Welcome Week. We were excited to capitalize on the exciting atmosphere on campus by hosting an inaugural Welcome Reception for our new first-generation students and families to create a supportive environment as soon as they arrived on campus.

Current first-gen students and administrators welcomed attendees to our reception space. Students were asked to check in so that we would be able to follow up with additional resources and information. Families were asked to provide email addresses if they were interested in receiving our new First Gen at Rider Newsletter.

The goals of the reception were to:

• celebrate the milestone that is starting college at a four-year institution and taking a moment to reflect on and appreciate all of the hard work and support that got the students to this point;

• connect new students to resources on campus that we know are of particular importance to first-generation students including: Career Development & Success, Trio Programs and Equal Opportunity Programs, Dean of Students, Counseling Services, the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, and the Academic Success Center; and

• inform first-gen students and families of pertinent upcoming dates like Homecoming & Family Weekend and Rider’s First Gen Celebration days.

Our inaugural First-generation Student & Family Welcome Reception was a success! We had over thirty students attend with their families and had student leaders and staff representing multiple areas across campus present to connect, share information, and engage in conversation. We were able to keep costs for the event at a minimum by taking advantage of the Welcome BBQ happening near the reception space and encouraging attendees to bring food over to the program, but we still made the event special with decorations and dessert.

Our goal is to raise awareness of the first-generation college student identity and create a culture of support and understanding beyond the pockets of support that already exist on campus.

Future Programs and Initiatives

We began laying the groundwork for enhanced first-generation college student support at Rider concurrently with our journey to become a First-gen Forward Institution. This academic year, we will be formalizing a First Gen at Rider Advisory Board, consisting of current first-gen students, first-gen alumni, staff, and faculty.

About 27% of our incoming new students identify as first-generation, and we have only just begun to be able to track these students from the point of admission this past cycle. Our goal is to raise awareness of the first-generation college student identity and create a culture of support and understanding beyond the pockets of support that already exist on campus.

We are also looking forward to expanding the scope of the National First-Generation College Celebration this year and going forward by outreaching to our first-gen alumni, faculty, and staff to encourage their participation in programming.