Breakout Sessions Apr. 8

2:15 - 3:00 pm

Career Success and the First Generation Student, Panel

Presenter (s): Peter Thorsett, Lynn Chisholm, Ruthann Atchley

This program will help participants better understand how to support First Generation students in the career planning process. This interactive presentation will begin with sharing the current state of practice on serving First Generation students and their career development needs. Panelists will share data collected through their First Destination survey to illustrate how programs for First Generation students can be designed and delivered. Finally, panelists will lead a guided discussion with attendees to develop additional program and service ideas for use on their own campuses.

Presenter (s): David Kenton, J.D., Ed. D; Sakeena Gohagen-Kenton MPA, MSW; Courtenay McClain, M.A.Ed.

The term first-generation evokes a strong range of emotions for higher education administrators. University funding sources are becoming scarce and performance demands are steadily increasing. This presentation will highlight the most recent trends and challenges facing first-generation students, cost-effective retention strategies, and provide guidance on conception to completion for strategy implementation. Institutional research and assessment data will be discussed to make a strong case for more funding. 

#FirstGenUF – Making First Gen Part of the Institutional Fabric

Presenter: Erica Aguiar

This presentation will highlight the University of Florida's Machen Florida Opportunity Scholars Program that covers the full cost of attendance for 300 first-generation and low-income students per cohort. The program has higher retention rates than the general UF population. Presenters will share programmatic pieces surrounding this scholarship, as well as how support for these students has been created across campus. They will also discuss ways in which being first-generation at UF has become a part of the institutional fabric. This session will provide data on retention, graduation, and job outcomes for program cohorts. 

The Journey Continues: Serving First Gen Students in the 21st Century

Presenter (s): Tammie Nadeau, Jeremy Jones

Defining how to serve First Generation students while promoting academic and student success will be the focus of this session. Presenters will share how program services and campus relationships impact first generation student success. Conference attendees will learn how to use program goals, objectives, and data to enhance services and programs between students, faculty, staff members and campus partners while impacting the experiences and sense of belonging of first generation students.

3:15 - 4:00 pm

Leveling the Playing Field: How to help First Gen Students to Land Internships and Jobs

Presenter(s): Sean O’Keefe, Isaac D'Amore Nieblas

This session will provide evidence-based practices for assisting students in taking action to achieve their career goals. Conference attendees will be empowered with tools and strategies to drive better career-related outcomes for their first-generation students. Conference attendees will also learn proven interviewing techniques and strategies tailored for first-generation students. They will also be exposed to various resources available to help first generation students land internships and jobs upon graduation.

The Ties that Bind: First Generation Faculty and Staff Sowing Seeds for Transfer

Presenter (s): Regina Francies, Ph.D., Andrea Scott, Ph. D., Shameika Daye, MPA

Among other initiatives, presenters developed innovative transfer student success projects for faculty. Conference attendees will be able to: Leverage lessoned learned to develop first generation student success initiatives. They will also gain valuable insight for designing first generation and transfer student success initiatives.

Engaging First-Gen Students for Success after College

Presenter: Tracy Griffith

First-generation students make up approximately one-third of all college students yet are less likely to persist beyond the first year of college than those who are considered continuing generation (NCES, 2017). However, if we can keep them enrolled and help them persist to graduation, they are able to enter the employment market on a level playing field and achieve salaries statistically similar to those whose parents have earned a degree (NCES, 2018). This presentation will discuss the issues and obstacles to first-generation student persistence, statistics illustrating the differences between first-generation and continuing-generation students, and present some of the interventions the University of Central Florida, as a First in the World grant recipient, has introduced to increase first-generation student persistence and graduation.

Finally, Everything about FGLI Students

Presenter: Kris Harvey

Navigating the landscape of information available about FGLI students can be overwhelming and time-consuming because no one has put it all in one place, until now. Conference attendees will be introduced to a new online community whose mission is to empower FGLI students by providing them with easy access to information and resources, and connecting them to each other and to colleges that value them.  This online community provides access to social media accounts, videos, articles, news, documentaries, and institutions with FGLI programs, research, as well as FGLI student and administrator conferences.