First-gen Forward status renewed
An inaugural participant in the program in 2019, Carolina continues to support first-generation students.
UNC Chapel Hill / October 11, 2023
First Scholars: A National Scaling Model
First Scholars is the third phase of the First Scholars Network and serves as the Center’s customized approach to intentional institutional transformation.
Through First Scholars, institutions receive a customized approach to transform institutional infrastructures and supports to advance first-generation student success. Utilizing a continuous improvement framework, First Scholars offers diagnostic tools providing critical institutional insight, a host of customized solutions and turnkey toolkits, robust data reporting, and the guidance of experts across the experience. First Scholars offers institutions the flexibility to shape their knowledge to meet institutional needs while aligning with the evidence-based outcomes imperative to advancing the success of first-generation students.
First Scholars Network Home
Core Components
Benefits
Institutional participants in the First Scholars phase benefit from:
- Engagement in a evidence-informed process, grounded in implementation science, to reach your goals and designed to address identified barriers that typically impede progress;
- Assignment of a dedicated expert coach to guide your progress to goals and serve as a resource for the institutional team;
- Access to proprietary assessments designed to facilitate understanding around your institution’s capacity to implement systemic cultural shifts that will holistically support first-generation student success; and Support from a network of institutions with similar priorities and goals related to first-generation student success;
- Access to valuable data and insights on first-generation student outcomes through PDP dashboards, including student-level outcomes and trends across the First Scholars Network;
- Engagement in modules and networking opportunities related to creating organizational structures and scaling and implementing student-centered approaches designed to increase first-generation student success;
- Opportunity to earn the additional designation of institutional excellence related to supporting first-generation students;
- Discounted or free registration on professional development offerings tailored to first-generation student success including but not limited to virtual learning and engagement opportunities, live briefings, short-courses, community building and networking conversations, and large-scale virtual events; and
- Discounted registration on the NASPA Annual Conference, NASPA Conferences on Student Success in Higher Education, and special offerings hosted by the Center for First-generation Student Success.
Diagnostics
Data Visibility for First-generation Student Success
Throughout the Network journey, institutions gain access to diagnostic tools and advisory sessions to discover and document the current state of first-generation student outcomes, organizational structures, programmatic offerings, and cultural elements critical to first-generation student success.
The following provide a foundation for this work:
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The Readiness and Progress Audit (RPA) is used throughout the First Scholars Network experience to collect longitudinal progress data to better learn how your institution is working to strengthen and scale institutional infrastructure and resources for first-generation students.
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The Insights Tool is a proprietary assessment designed to facilitate understanding around your institution’s first-generation initiatives and collects staff, faculty, and other institutional members’ perceptions of first-generation support.
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The Postsecondary Data Partnership (PDP) empowers institutions with more comprehensive data, easier analysis, centralized reporting functions, and better visual representations to help you understand, improve, and communicate student outcomes. The PDP offers interactive dashboards that enable your institution to visualize student outcomes in aggregated and disaggregated forms and an analysis-ready file that lets you dig deeper into the data to find where you can make the biggest improvements on your campus and implement student interventions in a timely manner.
First Scholars Leadership Academy
The First Scholars Leadership Academy at the NASPA Conferences on Student Success in Higher Education convenes leadership teams from each of our newest First Scholars institutions and focuses on the role of leaders in advancing a national narrative on first-generation student success while offering critical training and professional development.
Institutions will:
- Meet with expert guides;
- Network with peer institutions;
- Hear from national leaders in first-generation student sucess;
- Finalize continuous improvement priorities for the coming year; and
- Access to unique pre-conference workshops.
Eligibility
First Scholars Network institutions are eligible to apply once the Network Member phase is complete and they have advanced to the First-gen Forward phase. Once selected for First Scholars, an institution commits to a multi-year experience that requires presidential and financial support for a leadership team to focus on improving institutional cultures and systems at scale.
We encourage active Network Member and First-gen Forward institutions to apply to First Scholars! Contact [email protected] to learn more or visit the First Scholars Interest page below.
Required Experiences
Once selected for First Scholars, an institution commits to a multi-year experience that requires presidential and financial support for a leadership team to focus on improving institutional cultures and systems at scale. The following requirements are part of the onboarding and continuous engagement of institutions.
Requirements:
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Enroll in the Postsecondary Data Partnership & submit data annually;
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Engage in First Scholars Diagnostic Tools;
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Actively contribute to Network peer engagement;
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Attend monthly workshops and Expert Guidance meetings;
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Build Continuous Improvement Plans & advance priorities;
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Participate in the First Scholars Leadership Academy at the NASPA Conferences on Student Success in Higher Education; and
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Submit financial contribution & maintain NASPA membership.
Investment:
The third phase and its personalized approach requires a financial investment from the institution that is based on a number of factors including institution size and type. Individualized details specific to the institution are provided at a later time.
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Contact Us
Want to learn more?
We invite you to utilize the Center's resources, follow us on social media @FirstgenCenter, and reach out at [email protected] with other questions. Thank you for your commitment to serving first-generation students!