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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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The Two Most Important College-Admissions Criteria Now Mean Less

When so many students have outstanding grades and test scores, schools have to get creative about triaging applicants.

The Atlantic / May 25, 2018
Georgia State University
Georgia State U. Made Its Graduation Rate Jump. How?

"We’re tipping students off earlier on that there might be a problem and giving them a fighting chance to correct it."

The Chronicle of Higher Education / May 25, 2018
America's elite college struggle
America's elite colleges struggle to integrate low-income students

Harvard and elite schools like it remain a place for the privileged.

CBS News / May 23, 2018
Michelle Obama Throwback Snap
Michelle Obama Reflects On ‘Scary’ Time At Princeton With Sweet Throwback Snap

“I was black and from a working-class neighborhood in Chicago, while Princeton’s student body was generally white and well-to-do.”

Huffington Post / May 23, 2018
students walking outdoors
California Community College System Expands Foster Youth Support Program

Three of the latest community colleges launch a student support program geared toward foster youth in higher education.

May 22, 2018
Most of My Students Didn’t Know Any College Graduates But That’s Not Stopping Them From Going to College
Most of My Students Didn’t Know Any College Graduates But That’s Not Stopping Them From Going to College

Too many young people—predominantly teenagers of color from low-income backgrounds like my students—are full of these doubts.

Education Post / May 22, 2018
College Advising Corps
Champion for Low-Income Students Gets a Boost Itself

By embedding college advisers in schools with many underrepresented students, College Advising Corps has helped 300,000 enter postsecondary education.

Inside Higher Ed / May 21, 2018
three happy students studying
This simple math strategy helps colleges enroll more low-income students

The strategy comes amid pressures to increase the number of traditionally under-represented students in higher education.

MarketWatch / May 21, 2018
High school counselors cut
School counselors keep kids on track. Why are they first to be cut?

How Colorado is betting on counseling to vault low-income kids into good jobs and post-secondary education

The Hechinger Report / May 21, 2018
Leaders of California’s Big University Systems Look Ahead at Finances, Safety, Capacity

UC provided more support to first-generation students so that their graduation rates mirrored the rates of their later-generation student peers.

Diverse Issues in Higher Education / May 21, 2018
students in classroom standing with teacher
Five Ways to Promote a More Inclusive Classroom

Integration and involvement are key ingredients for increasing student retention and promoting success.

Faculty Focus | Higher Ed Teaching & Learning / May 21, 2018
Dwaine Collier Jr. Cal State Marcos grad
Graduate beats odds, leaves mark on Cal State San Marcos

First-generation student, Dwaine Collier Jr., made the most of his college experience.

The San Diego Union-Tribune / May 18, 2018
two black male students studying
New Questions on Racial Disparity and Student Debt

Early takeaways from new federal data show lower proportion of some nontraditional student types and racial disparities in graduate borrowing.

Inside Higher Ed / May 18, 2018
Rethinking Financial Aid
Rethinking financial aid: Small grants make a big difference in college completion

Financial aid needs to be reimagined so it not only facilitates college access, but also fosters college completion.

The Washington Post / May 17, 2018
PBS News Hour UC System feature
How faculty mentors can help first-generation students succeed

A new initiative by the UC system uses first-generation faculty to guide first-generation students, with the goal of decreasing dropout rates.

PDS News Hour / May 15, 2018
National Urban League Annual Report Highlights STEM Gap, Student Debt

The Urban League is monitoring the impact of rising student loan debt, specifically on Black, Hispanic, lower-income and first-generation college students.

Diverse Issues in Higher Education / May 14, 2018
College Costs Are America’s Cruel Graduation Gift
College Costs Are America’s Cruel Graduation Gift

Higher education has long been a fundamental element of America’s promise of economic prosperity and social mobility.

Huffington Post / May 13, 2018
Making The Learning Experience Student-Centered To Combat The Skills Gap From College To Career
Making The Learning Experience Student-Centered To Combat The Skills Gap From College To Career

Three ways universities can connect the five functional areas to make the learning experience and entire student lifecycle more student-centered.

Forbes / May 10, 2018