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Fall Semester Welcomed 84 Scholars
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Three campuses greeted First Scholars participants for the 2011-2012 academic year, with 84 scholars spread among the network! The University of Kentucky led the way with a new freshman cohort of 20 scholars joining all 20 of last year's participants. The 100% retention rate for our scholars is a great accomplishment and outpaces the campus-wide 74% retention rate for first-generation college students and 82% retention rate for all students!
The University of Alabama welcomed a cohort of 24 scholars and Southern Illinois University's group includes 20 students. Each location kicked off the semester with an opening retreat the weekend after classes started. The retreats were designed to orient scholars to the program and included team-building activities along with study skills sessions.
As the semester progressed, the scholars met with peer mentors and the program coordinators regularly, engaging in a variety of social activities, workshops, service projects and other programming to assist them in adjusting to campus life and building a sense of community.
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| First Scholars Network Pilot Phase Capped | |
With the goal of strengthening our First Scholars™ program, we will not add universities to the network in 2012. We will continue to work with the five universities engaged in the pilot phase to further refine comprehensive programming, evaluate data, and solidify effective practices prior to growing the network.
Continue to follow our progress and learn about program updates
through our newsletter, website, or by contacting Liz Graves at lgraves@suderfoundation.org. |
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Sophomore Success Stories
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During the sophomore retreat at the University of Kentucky, Program Director Matthew Deffendall challenged scholars to "add value to your resume this year through an internship, undergraduate research or education abroad experience." Several of the scholars took these words to heart and have already lined up internship opportunities for the summer of 2012! Congratulations to:
Brittany Courtney, Charles T. Mitchell, Certified Public Accountants
Tony Kao, Toyota Motor Manufacturing
Steven Reed, Czar Law Offices
Other scholars are actively seeking to gain valuable experience this summer through internships and undergraduate research, as well as preparing for graduate school exams like the MCAT, and volunteering at organizations related to their major. Sophomore scholar Brandy Denton reminded her fellow scholars that "it is essential for the scholars to get experience in [our] field so that [we] are prepared for the future."
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| Planning Year Progressing at WSU and U of M | Washington State University and The University of Memphis are fully engaged in the implementation phase of their programs, identifying campus partners and working on their scholar application process. Both universities recently hired their First Scholars Program Coordinator.
Welcome to Alicia Saldivar at WSU and Shea Houze at U of M. Alicia moved to First Scholars in mid-September after serving as Coordinator of Leadership Programs and Multicultural Student Organizations since 2008. She is already contributing to the network by co-developing, with Jodi Gonzalez, the sophomore student leadership programming.
Shea's official start date is January 3, 2012. She is currently a Career Advisor in the U of M Career Services Department and we look forward to working with her.
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| Early Start with Career Planning | |
Research concludes that first generation students see a college education as a means to a good job (Brooks-Terry, 1988) but may not fully consider how their interests, skills and aptitudes play a role in successful career choices. According to Mary Lowrey, Assistant Director Career Education/Development at The University of Alabama, "career planning can be overwhelming for any college student, but it can be especially challenging for first generation students. Though not a given, it is likely that they have not been exposed to many conversations about choosing a major, exploring career paths, and preparing for life after college."
First Scholars tapped Mary to prepare career-focused programming for freshmen scholars in our network. Scholars at the University of Alabama and Southern Illinois University will pilot this approach and begin assessing their interests and strengths during the spring semester through a series of guided interactive workshops. "Students will complete self-assessment exercises, consider the key influences on their decision-making, research majors and careers that relate to their interests and strengths, and identify people and resources on campus to facilitate their next steps," said Mary.
The program coordinators will follow up and incorporate this information into each scholars' individualized strategic plan. Additional programming during the sophomore through senior years will build upon scholars' career development so that they are prepared for transitioning to the workforce or graduate school upon graduation. |
| Campus Coordinator's Corner | |
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Christina Gilroy, First Scholars Coordinator,
Southern Illinois University Carbondale |
Fast Facts:
Home Town: Sterling, Illinois
Education: Christina has a Masters degree in Higher Education Administration, specializing in Student Affairs and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC. She received her Bachelor of Science in University Studies from Southern Illinois University Carbondale with a minor in Psychology and Journalism. She has been employed in higher education for 8 years.
Inside info: Christina was born in New Orleans, and has lived in places as diverse as New York City and Hawaii. As a returning Saluki, she's been impressed with many of the changes on campus since her undergraduate days, especially the new library, Saluki statues, and new football stadium. |
| Making Connections at NACADA |
 | | Jessica Franks, Matthew Deffendall, and Christina Gilroy |
Coordinators from the three active programs met in Denver at the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) National Conference to strengthen their relationships as well as learn about best practices in advising students from other higher education professionals. The coordinators, Jessica Franks, Christina Gilroy, and Matthew Deffendall were joined by Jodi Gonzalez, First Scholars National Program Manager, who facilitated a working session for the coordinators to share strategies for assisting scholars. Jodi Gonzalez said, "Attendance at the National NACADA Conference this fall provided an opportunity for campus coordinators to gather and discuss program successes and challenges, share strategies, create camaraderie and accumulate valuable tools and information for supporting students. It was a valuable experience for each of us." Foundation staff are currently evaluating the information gathered to identify best practices to include in First Scholars programming. |
| Transitions at the University of Kentucky | |
CONGRATULATIONS to Matthew Deffendall, First Scholars director at the University of Kentucky, on his new position! Matthew was promoted to the newly-created position of Director of First Generation Initiatives, effective October 1, 2011. In his new role, Matthew will oversee a variety of programs at UK addressing the needs of first-generation college students including First Scholars, the First Gen Living Learning Community, First Gen student organization and the 1G Stories video project.
Martina Martin recently accepted the position of First Scholars program coordinator and starts on January 9, 2012. Martina returns to UK after spending two years at the University of Louisville as the Assistant Director/Academic Counselor of the Olga S. Peers Academic Center for Athletics.
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| Stay tuned... |
Executive Director
The Suder Foundation
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In The News | |
First Scholars at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale carving pumpkins for Halloween.
"The First Scholars program has helped me discover all the resources the campus offers to help first generation students like me to succeed and to find people who are willing to dedicate time to help me achieve my goals. First Scholars also provided me with a sense of family, and helped me become more comfortable
already in my first couple of weeks of college. First Scholars really changed the way I think, and made me believe I can do this -- I can succeed."
-Sarah Lohman
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
To get into the
Halloween spirit, Scholars at the University of Alabama threw a Halloween party in the residence hall where they all live in a living learning community.
Reaching Out to First Generation Students
The University of Kentucky held their first "CATS Day Out." First Scholar students volunteered to be ambassadors to a group of first generation students in 8th grade who were visiting the campus to see what a college campus was like. Falisha Patel, a freshman scholar said, "They were awesome, and full of curiosity! Answering their questions was the best!"
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