fIRST GENERATION STUDENTS: cAMPUS climate, Transition Programming, and pERSISTENCE

1. fIRST GENERATION STUDENTS: cAMPUS climate, Transition Programming, and pERSISTENCE Katie Mey Western Illinois University

2. Topic Selection

3. Why First Generation Students • Personal Interest • Experience as a (kind of) first generation student (FGS) • Ongoing Professional Interest • Observed deficit of current literature and documented best practice concerning a category that ‘collects’ many other categories of difference • Correspondence with Current Experience • Frustrations with a summer internship project related to FGS • Potential Importance In Connection: Legal Issues & Diversity, in Higher Education • Recent legal precedent indicates the need to consider alternatives to race conscious affirmative action strategies in the near future • (Fisher v. Univ. of Texas, 2013; Gratz v. Bollinger, 2003; Grutter v. Bollinger, 2003, U. of California v. Bakke, 1996 )

4. Current Literature What we know

5. CURRENT LITTERATURE: WHAT WE KNOW • We know that FGS bring many assets that can help them in their endeavors in higher education with them to college • They take pride in or are motivated to achieve by their status as the first in the family to attend college • They tend to be proactive, goal directed, optimistic, and reflexive • They possess strengths of resourcefulness, strategic thinking, self-reliance, practical realism, flexibility, persistence, positivity, hopefulness, self-confidence, insightfulness, compassion, gratitude and balance • They appreciate and are motivated by the emotional encouragement they receive from their family • Most research is rooted in deficit approach… • (Garrison and Gardner, 2012; Nixon, 2011)

6. Current Literature: What we know • Reported number of FGS enrolled over the last 30 years have varied widely (from 22-47%) but are believed to be on the up trend. Whatever the specific number, evidence supports FGS representing a significant portion of the student body. • FGS students are more likely to follow non–traditional enrollment patterns • FGS students are more likely to experience environmental pull from responsibilities outside the scope of the typical college environment • More likely to have higher expectations from and more connected to home for a variety of reasons • FGS students are ‘at risk’ when it comes to persistence and degree attainment based on pre-college characteristics that place thembehind their non-FGS peers in the categories of academic background and cultural capital (Renn and Reason, 2013; Ward, Siegel, and Davenport, 2012)

7. Current literature: What we know • Academic Background • More likely to be underprepared for the level & rigor of college course work • Less likely to have high academic self efficacy • Less likely to have high educational aspirations • Less likely to seek academic help • Cultural Capital • Less likely to develop relationships with faculty and advisors • Less likely to have experienced socialization to college culture prior to arrival • Less able to rely on important others (family) for help navigating environment • More likely to be susceptible to inaccurate media portrayals of college • Have less accurate expectations about role and life as college student (Nixon, 2011; Rennand Reason, 2013; Ward, Siegel, and Davenport, 2012)

8. What we know about Macalester & FGS

9. What we know about Macalester • Macalester (Mac) has transformed drastically since the late 1980’s and early 1990’s • Historically, the student body at Mac was more local, less selective, and included more students of underrepresented racial and ethnic background which would likely mean higher numbers of FGS • Contemporary Mac recruits nationally, is considered highly selective, and has fewer students from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds, all of which would indicate fewer FGS • Demographics seem to have increased as proportionally as class size has increased over the last fifteen years (Macalester,2012; Personal Communication. Robin Hart-Ruthenbeck, July 2013; Personal Communication. Chris Macdonald-Dennis, July 2013; Personal Communication. Sedric McClure, July 2013)

10. WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT MACALESTER • Mac began tracking enrollment data on FGS in Fall 2012 semester • There is some qualitative data from focus groups conducted within the past two years that FGS indicate; salience of identity and a lack of space to discuss shared experiences • Prior to this year, there has been no programming, resources, or services offered during Orientation, Welcome Week, or First Year Course (FYC) program • Mac’s Orientation program is an intensive 5 day long experience • Mac’s FYC program allows students to select content based on interest but places them in a writing and discussion intensive seminar style course to acculturate them to the academic expectations of the College • This year there will be one 45 minute session, titled “New to College”, targeted to reach FGS and families on the first day of their Orientation program • Introductory presentation by one or two staff members; perhaps including a student voice via a facilitated Q & A (Kuh et al., 2010; Edwards et al., 2013)

11. Recommendations

12. Recommendations • Begin at the beginning- Orientation • New to College: a nugget to build on • Alter time and structure • Inclusive of families • Normalize cultural shift and feeling the ‘pull’ from home • Include discussion of strengths and resources • Expand to include connections to faculty and staff who identify as former FGS • Include current and former student and parent perspectives • Have key staff, faculty and advisors on hand to encourage relationships • Create resources that explain important aspects of Mac without institutional jargon and that draw connections and parallels between home and college

13. Recommendations • Develop FGS identity based group • Continue providing space for discussion and other resources throughout the first year at least • Introduce academic and cultural intervention • Consider developing peer mentoring capacity based on student feedback • Conduct Assessment • Conduct campus climate survey and include FGS status in demographics studied • Continue and expand assessment related to FGS • Expand enrollment statistics • Gather qualitative data via motivation interviewing

14. Reference • Edwards, K. (2013). Community Learning Model. Unpublished Manuscript • Garrison, N. J., & Gardner, D. S. (2012). Assets First Generation College Students Bring to the Higher Education Setting. Online Submission. • Kahlenberg, R. (2012). A New Kind of Affirmative Action Can Ensure Diversity. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/A-New-Kind-of-Affirmative/134840/ • Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J. H., & Whitt, E. J. (2010). Student success in college: Creating conditions that matter. John Wiley & Sons. • Macalester (2012) Macalester College Fact Book. Macalester College. Retrieved from http://www.macalester.edu/ir/private/a_freshretent.pdf • Stoll, E. (2012) First-Generation College Students: Navigating the Worlds of School and Home. Journal of College Orientation and Transition, 20(2) • Ward, L., Siegel, M. J., & Davenport, Z. (2012). First-generation College Students: Understanding and Improving the Experience from Recruitment to Commencement. Wiley. com.