Keene State College sophomore Natalie Haley made the dean’s list her freshman year, a feat she’s particularly proud of as the Stoddard resident is the first in her family to go to college. Her mother works in food service at a local elementary school, and her father is a dispatcher for a transportation company. “My dad is one of the smartest people I know,” Haley says. “But there are jobs he can’t get without a degree. Seeing him struggle made me realize it’s really important to go to college and have better experiences.”
She is among the more than 40 percent of students enrolled at Keene State College who are first-generation college students. In the 2012-2013 academic year, first-generation students also accounted for 40 percent of enrollment at Plymouth State University, more than 30 percent at the University of NH and 58 percent of Granite State College.
“Nationally people recognize demographics are shifting, and the newest growth is students from first-generation backgrounds,” says Kristin Sweeney, director of Keene State’s TRIO program, a federal grant program for first-generation and other underserved students. As such, many schools are offering such programs to support these students who cannot necessarily turn to family for advice on navigating higher education.
Haley depended heavily on Keene State to help her navigate her first year at college. Before attending, Haley participated in Upward Bound, an academic college preparatory summer program for middle and high school students, and Summer Links, a six-week on-campus summer program geared to first-time college students. Summer Links includes classroom work and an introduction to campus life and the community.
Supporting Success
Keene State now asks students to indicate the educational attainment of their parents on its application to identify students who may need extra support services. Those students are directed to the TRIO program, which also assists other underserved students (including those with disabilities or from low-income families).
TRIO’s extra support includes academic counseling, scholarships and peer tutoring. Summer Links and Upward Bound, which Haley took part in, are also part of the federal grant.
“Keene State College is in a unique position because we have a historic commitment to working with students from these backgrounds. We’re ahead of the curve,” says Sweeney. Although the college hasn’t yet compiled data on the number of first-generation students who graduate, 72 percent of TRIO participants graduate within six years, she says.
Keene State also offers Aspire, a program that offers support in everything from peer tutoring, choosing classes, note-taking techniques and navigating financial aid to finding a summer jobs and how to get the best deal on textbooks. It also includes the Summer Links program.
In December 2013, Keene State was accepted to partner in I’m First, an online community designed to help first-generation college students plan for and succeed in their college career. Keene State President Anne Huot discovered the I’m First program while researching resources for students. As a first-generation college graduate herself, Huot understands how intimidating and challenging it can be. “Within our extended family, not many of the women had been to college,” says Huot. “It was a relatively bold, somewhat scary thing to do. You land on a campus and don’t know a lot of people. You need to negotiate relationships.”
Keene State is the third NH institution to join I’m First, a Maryland-based nonprofit.
Colby-Sawyer College in New London and Dartmouth College in Hanover are also members. I’m First allows colleges and universities across the nation that support first-generation students on their campuses to share ideas; showcases stories from first-generation students and graduates as well as faculty and staff; and offers webinars and programs on recruiting and retaining first-generation students.
Students can sign up on the I’m First website and connect with other students. Huot was impressed with the video posts from business leaders, heads of universities like herself (Huot created her own video), and even First Lady Michelle Obama speaking about their experiences as first-generation college students. “They’re very inspirational,” Huot says of the videos. “It’s saying to young people, ‘Here are some things that should be in your tool kit when thinking about college.’”
Next year, the college will begin a blog on the site. As a result of joining I’m First, Keene State developed a resource panel for first-generation students.
Older Students Take the Plunge
Granite State College, which focuses on nontraditional students and offers many night and online classes, has the largest percentage of first-generation students in the state's University System. Francis Sullivan, who serves as divisional supervisor in the Uniform Field Operations Bureau of the Nashua Police Department, is among them. He graduated in June from Granite State College with a bachelor’s in criminal justice.
The 47-year-old former U.S. Marine went into law enforcement after four years in the military. After 20 years with the department, he decided to earn his bachelor’s degree, taking the advice of colleagues who encouraged him to continue his education. “The guys I supervise are college grads,” Sullivan says. “I thought, ‘Shouldn’t I as their boss be one also?’”
His former police captain attended Granite State College and recommended it to him. “A lot of folks are going back to school to not only become more knowledgeable in their field but to keep up with the competition,” he says. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that in 2011, the median income of adults with a bachelor’s degree was $45,000, while it was $30,000 for those with a high school diploma or its equivalent.
While Granite State College hasn’t joined I’m First, it does track the number of first-generation students enrolled at its nine campuses, says Laurie Quinn, former provost and vice president for academic affairs. (She left her post in July to serve as provost and chief academic officer at Champlain College in Vermont.) Of the 58 percent of first-generation students at Granite State College, nearly half graduate within six years. She says that number is roughly twice the national graduation rate for this group of students.
Quinn says all first-year students at Granite State are assigned an academic coach, who advises them throughout their college career. Sullivan had two academic coaches at the college’s Manchester campus. “Any questions I had they answered right away,” he says. “They gave me an overview of what classes I needed and a guideline to be able to focus my attention on what you need to do to achieve your goal. They also helped me secure financial aid and a scholarship by walking me through that process. They want people to succeed. I call them friends.”
Granite State College has campuses throughout the state, which is a draw for first-generation students. “It’s powerful for students who are first-generation to have roots in these communities where they live and work. It’s an intentional way of attracting and retaining these students,” Quinn says. Investing in the success of these students helps to build a pipeline for colleges and universities as these students inspire their own children and co-workers to go to college, she says.
Current Issue - May 2024