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The Future is FirstGen

News & Blogs

Find the latest from the Center, learn new and innovative approaches from colleagues, and engage with current mainstream media conversations on first-generation student success. In addition to the filters below, please utilize the “search” bar in the top, right corner to search by keyword, author name, or publication title.

FirstGen Forward announces new class of Network Members
FEATURE | August 01, 2024

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FirstGen Forward announces inaugural class of Network Champion Institutions
FEATURE |

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GCC graduate group
Policies With Narrative: Investing In The Nuanced Student Experience

Efforts to scale mentoring programs often come at the cost of replacing authentic human interactions with cookie-cutter procedures.

Forbes / January 22, 2019
UC Irvine School of Business
B-Schools With The Most First-Generation Students

A list where the highest percentages of first-generation college students are enrolling for business education. UC-Irvine tops this year's list.

Poets and Quants / January 17, 2019
illustration of students
The unseen reason working-class students drop out

For first-generation students to succeed in college, we need to expand the culture of higher education to include interdependence as well as independence.

Politico / January 16, 2019
Rob Mack Tufts
FIRST Center creates video to highlight first-generation students’ classroom experiences

In a new educational video, faculty and staff provide thoughts and ideas for addressing challenges faced by first-generation, low-income students.

The Tufts Daily / January 16, 2019
Michael Wong student
First, But Not Alone

Michael Wong is the first in his family to attend an Ivy League college. The culture shock was severe, and he wasn’t ready for it.

KQED / January 14, 2019
male mentor with diverse group of students
An Overlooked Solution for Diversifying STEM

Colleges can dramatically improve success rates of low-income, first-generation students by working across units.

Inside Higher Ed / January 14, 2019
UF Student Wave Graduate
It’s cool to be first-gen at UF.

When building or growing an asset-based culture with first-generation college students at the center, consider these seven strategies.

Leslie H. Pendleton Ph.D. / January 11, 2019
Food pantry
The U.S. Did a Major Report on Campus Hunger. Here Are 3 Takeaways.

A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office draws attention to the problem of hunger and poverty on college campuses.

The Chronicle of Higher Education / January 09, 2019
PBS newshour
This scholarship program gives students more than money

Minnesota program boasts a four-year graduation rate one and a half times better than the national average for first-generation college students.

PBS / January 08, 2019
Admissions Office
The Two Powerful Forces Changing College Admissions

What if colleges found new ways to evaluate first-generation students, so they could better understand the value in their life stories?

Education Week / January 08, 2019
EOP Graduates
How Educational Opportunity Programs graduate first-generation college students

The EOP program is designed to prepare students for their first year in college, subjects them to 15-hour days full of classes and study sessions.

The Hechinger Report / January 07, 2019
Student by vending machine
Far From Home: Different Stories, With Common Threads

Through storytelling, first-generation college students not only identify with the struggle, but also with the victories.

Texas Public Radio / January 05, 2019
Students around table
Colorado sees major increase in college applications following Colorado Free Application Day

Colorado colleges waived application fees and a third of the applications submitted came from first-generation students.

The Denver Channel / January 04, 2019
Texas_Alcalde
Celebrating UT’s First-Generation Students on Campus

As of fall 2018, UT Austin has been working to ramp up its initiatives for first-generation college students.

Texas Exes Alcalde / January 03, 2019
UTSA_Registrar
UTSA Part of New National Effort to Increase College Access, Boost Student Success

UTSA has joined 129 other public universities in a new five-year effort to improve college access for low-income, first generation, and minority students.

The Rivard Report / January 03, 2019
Fiesta Bowl
We're proud to be in the Fiesta Bowl, but fostering social mobility matters more

The power of education isn’t about picking the student who’s already most likely to succeed. It’s about identifying talent with grit and spirit.

USA Today / December 31, 2018
How Four-Year Colleges Impact First-Generation Student Success

New analysis highlights key findings and best practices for how four-year colleges can support students who are the first in their family to attend college.

USA Today / December 27, 2018
Student Silhouette
Tackling low college graduation rates for black and Latino students

Using 2017 data from NCES, LA-area charter high schools trains college counselors to guide future first-generation students.

LA Times / December 26, 2018