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Colleges and universities are experiencing an increase in the enrollment of first-generation students. For many schools, the number of students who will be the first in their family to attain a college degree is significant. Schools are developing recruitment programs targeted at first-generation students and offering them a variety of programs once they are enrolled.

Many of these students are sons and daughters of immigrants. The over 33 million immigrants living today in America is "unprecedented," according to the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington, D.C., non-partisan think tank that focuses on the impact of immigration on the United States. "Even at the peak of the great wave of immigration in the early 20th century, the number of immigrants living in the United States was only 40 percent of what it is today (13.5 million in 1910)."

Below is a sampling of colleges and universities, noting increases in the number of first generation students along with contact information for each campus.  

   
Bates College in Maine has "a particular concern for recruiting first-generation students from within the state--only 11 percent of our students are from Maine, but many of these are first-generation students," says James Fergerson, director of institutional planning and analysis for the college. "We also have a large number of first-generation students who come from very low income families in developing countries," he adds.
For more information, contact Bryan McNulty, director, communications and media relations, 207/786-6330, bmcnulty@bates.edu, or Wylie Mitchell, dean of admissions, Bates College, 207/786-6002, wmitchel@bates.edu.  


One of the largest universities in the country, The University of Texas at Austin’s Class of 2009 is made up of 24 percent first-generation students. The university makes a strong commitment to recruiting and retaining first-generation students. It has developed the First-Generation College Student Mentoring Program, which pairs mentors with first-generation college freshmen, "providing a supported and informed transition to college life and ultimately guiding them to become successful students." It also provides First Generation Scholarships, which pay $2,500 per year.
For more information, contact Augustine Garza, deputy director, Office of Admissions, 512/475-7454, augustin.garza@mail.utexas.edu; or Bruce Walker, vice provost and director of admission, 512/475-7326, bruce.walker@mail.utexas.edu; or Robert Meckel, Office of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin, 512/475-7847, rmeckel@mail.utexas.edu

 


Colorado College has created a simple gold pin that says "First." Faculty, staff, and alumni wear these pins to show their pride in being a first-generation college student, says Darlene Garcia, program coordinator and career coordinator for the college’s career center. Students receive the pin at an end-of-the-year barbecue prior to their graduation.

Programs for first-generation students cover topics such as how to keep relationships strong with family and friends at college and back home, living in two worlds, and finding your voice in the classroom. Before first-generation students go home for their initial winter break, they discuss how to bridge the gap between living in two worlds, and how to talk with family and friends without alienating them -- or feeling alienated.

For more information, contact Darlene Garcia, coordinator of the first generation program and career coordinator, 719/389-6893; or Matthew Bonser, associate director of admissions, 719/389-6345; or Leslie Weddell, college news director, Colorado College, 719/389-6038, leslie.weddell@ColoradoCollege.edu.  

Though the University of Dayton doesn’t track first-generation college students, UD has an early college public high school on campus, The Dayton Early College Academy, that enrolls mostly first-generation prospective college students and serves as a pipeline for recruitment. Nearly half of the students report that no one in their family has gone to college. Most of the others had family members who attended college but took only a few courses.
For more information, contact Judy Hennessey, principal, Dayton Early College Academy, 937/542-5630, or Cilla Shindell, director of media relations, University of Dayton, 937/229-3257, shindell@udayton.edu.   

Almost one-third (33 percent) of Binghamton University's incoming class is first-generation American, up from 24 percent about five years ago. Elizabeth Carter, director of the BU Discovery program, recently conducted a research study comparing responses from their first-generation students with those from other students at the university. First-generation students scored higher than some of the other groups on being functionally independent from their parents. They tended not to rely on their parents for help with day-to-day tasks. "However, they were less independent when it came to needing their parents' approval and emotional support," said Carter. "And they were really concerned about not wanting to upset their parents."

Carter said the survey results will be very helpful in addressing the specific needs of first -generation students. "We would never want a first-generation student to say to his or her parents, ‘I don't want to end up like you, I want a better life.’ What we want to hear is, ‘Mom and Dad, thanks for working hard to give me a good start in life, and now I am going to take what you have given me and make it even better.’"

For more information, contact Gail Glover, director of media relations, Binghamton University, 607/777-2174, gglover@binghamton.edu

 



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