There is a crisis on campus. Across Southern California and nationwide, unprecedented numbers of college students are seeking counseling for mental and emotional difficulties (Boyd-Barrett, & Haire, 2018). College students arrive at college with more severe mental health issues each year (Danitz, et al., 2016). A recent assessment by the…

Based on the detrimental effects of stereotypes such as the model minority myth, the purpose of this study was to examine the engagement rates of first-generation and non-first-generation Asian American students at various types of institutions compared to their peers and to explore whether the engagement rate differs depending upon institution…

The purpose of this qualitative narrative study is to identify factors that help and hinder first-generation Navajo college students' retention and completion in a community college in rural New Mexico. The theoretical framework will be Tribal Critical Race Theory with data collection being done with a narrative interview approach. An overview of…

Marginalized minorities have encountered difficulty pursuing a college degree which has widened the gap in enrollment and retention rates in higher education. This qualitative study implemented a phenomenological methodology to understand perseverance and degree achievement through the essence of the lived experiences of first-generation Hispanic…

This article is an empirical phenomenological examination of the perceived security that first generation college students have in their identity as college students. First generation college students (FGCS) have been defined as students whose parents or guardians have not completed a 2- or 4-year postsecondary degree. Previous research (Davis,…

The intertwining effects of the college environment and first-generation status on student civic engagement have not been examined in detail, yet this information is essential to support the development of civic identity in college students. This study uses holistic, descriptive collective case study method to explore the civic engagement of…

This review offers a critical analysis of the library and information science (LIS) literature on first-generation students (FGS) from the last 40 years. This literature demonstrates an interest in understanding the needs of FGS to serve them better, but it is often grounded in a deficit model of education that focuses on what first-generation…

Community colleges have long been recognized as pivotal institutions for broadening educational opportunity for a variety of marginalized populations, including first-generation students. These institutions are also an important starting point for students desiring to eventually earn a bachelor's degree in a science, technology, engineering, or…

This qualitative dissertation explored how Latina/o students at Frontera Community College (FCC) made sense of their identities and community college experiences while traversing the Tijuana-San Diego borderlands. FCC is an HSI and one of the closest community colleges to the U.S.-Mexico border in California making this an important site of…

For adults with low incomes and potential first-generation college-goers, enrolling in college can be challenging. The U.S. Department of Education-funded Educational Opportunity Centers (EOCs) provide supports to help navigate some of the barriers to enrollment, including assistance with completing college and financial aid application processes,…

The Powered by Publics (PxP) initiative has been an ambitious undertaking from the beginning, aiming to produce hundreds of thousands more undergraduate degrees and halving equity gaps for low-income, minoritized, and first-generation students by 2025. APLU has collected student performance data from the 127 participating institutions over the…

Over the past twenty years, elite colleges and universities enacted policies that reshaped the racial and class composition of their campuses, and over the past decade, Latinos' college attendance notably increased. While discussions on educational mobility often focus on its perceived benefits -- that it will ultimately lead to social and…

Developmental education is the starting point for many 1st-year college students, especially from underrepresented, low-income, and first-generation populations. One such 1st-year program linked block-scheduled academic skill-development courses with a required interdisciplinary general education science course where instruction was provided…

This case study explores, from the student perspective, the difficulties and supports that empowers first-generation, female senior undergraduates at a United States (U.S.) 4-year institution of higher education (IHE) in their pursuit of degree attainment. The students denote diverse racial and socioeconomic demographics at the university study…

Today, higher education is in a state of flux. Changing dynamics, from accreditation to unsustainable economic models, have forced colleges and universities to examine their fundamental principles while also grappling with the changing needs of the national and globalized workforce, including the shift to online learning. At the same time, the…