RIT Joins with 500 Other Higher Ed Institutions Focusing on First Gen Students |
RIT Joins with 500 Other Higher Ed Institutions Focusing on First Gen Students
The Rochester Institute of Technology was recently selected as a member of the FirstGen Forward Network. The national organization includes more than 500 institutions of higher education, with a goal of ensuring academic success for first-generation college students
Phillippa Thiuri, assistant vice president for Academic Access and Success in the Division of Access, Engagement, and Success, says being a part of FirstGen Forward is important because it is an opportunity to be much more intentional about recognizing and supporting a significant part of RIT’s student community.
“Approximately 23% of our students are first-generation college students. These students bring tremendous talent, resilience and aspirations to RIT, but they may also be navigating an unfamiliar higher education system without the benefit of family experience to help them understand its unwritten rules. Our responsibility is not to expect students to figure those systems out on their own, but to make RIT’s resources, relationships and opportunities more visible and accessible. FirstGen Forward gives us a national network, framework and resources to help us strengthen that work.”
Interested RIT faculty and staff will be able to engage with any of the 500 peer institutions by sharing evidence-based practices to advance academic success and co-curricular experiences for first-gen students. Thiuri says the program is valuable because it provides an opportunity to think institutionally about the first-generation student experience from the point students arrive at RIT through graduation
“For students, that can mean better connections to advising and academic support, greater awareness of financial and basic-needs resources, mentoring and community-building opportunities, and clearer pathways to the people and resources that can help them succeed. It also means creating a campus culture where being first-generation is recognized as an important part of the RIT community rather than something students have to navigate quietly or independently.”
Thiuri says the Center for Engagement and Student Success (CES) will be an important part of this effort, with an expanded focus on first-gen student success through mentoring, programming, student stories, campus partnerships and initiatives designed to help students build connections and learn how to navigate the university.
FirstGen Forward Network Vice President Martina A. Martin says, “We are excited to welcome Rochester Institute of Technology to the FirstGen Forward Network. Throughout the application process, RIT demonstrated a clear commitment to advancing success for first-generation students—backed by a willingness to align strategy, data, and campus-wide efforts for long-term impact. Their leadership reflects a meaningful investment in creating the conditions where first-generation students can thrive.”
To learn more about FirstGen Forward, go to firstgenforward.org.