Board 407: The SD-FIRST Program – Impact on First-Generation Students

Cassandra M Birrenkott; Jon J Kellar; Michael West; Jesse Herrera

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Conference: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Baltimore , Maryland
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
Start Date: June 25, 2023
End Date: June 28, 2023
Conference Session: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Tagged Topics: Diversity and NSF Grantees Poster Session
Page Count: 18
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--42714
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/42714
Download Count: 232

Paper Authors

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Cassandra M Birrenkott South Dakota School of Mines and Technology orcid.org/0000-0001-6137-0820

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Dr. Cassandra (Degen) Birrenkott received her B.S. degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in 2007. She received her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering in 2012 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, studying mechanochemical reactions of a spiropyran mechanophore in polymeric materials under shear loading. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering department at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology where her research interests include novel manufacturing and characterization techniques of polymer and composite structures and the incorporation of multifunctionality by inducing desired responses to mechanical loading.

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Jon J Kellar South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

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Kellar is the Douglas Fuerstenau Professor of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering at the SD School of Mines and Technology. He has been on the faculty since 1990, and in 1994 was selected as an National Science Foundation Presidential Faculty Fellow a

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biography

Michael West South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

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Dr. Michael West is an associate professor and head of the department of materials and metallurgical engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SD Mines). Between 2008-2013, he served as site director of the NSF I/UCRC Center for Fri

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Jesse Herrera

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Abstract

The SD-FIRST program at xxx is a support program geared towards first-generation students, and to creating an environment where they will thrive and find success – the first of its kind on the xxx campus. As the first in their families to attend college and complete a college degree, first-generation students and their support systems can lack firsthand experience navigating the higher education world, making the journey overwhelming. The SD-FIRST program aims to fill that void by removing some financial burden and giving students the academic and social tools they need to be successful, all while helping them navigate college.

On the xxx campus, nearly 1/3 of students in each incoming freshmen class are first-generation students. Moreover, of the xxx students who classify as low socio-economic status (42% of campus population), 80% of those are first-generation students. By comparison to “generational” students who have familial experience with college, first-generation students graduate at a much lower rate (at xxx, the 5-year graduation rate is 24% for first-generation students vs 49% for generational students). While xxx has many resources available for all students, first-generation students can face challenges of not knowing where to who to turn to for help on campus.

The goals of the SD-FIRST program are to increase recruitment, retention, and success of first-generation students by providing a robust, evidence-based support system that awards scholarships to students and connects them with other financial-aid opportunities to help alleviate financial burden and help scholars to remain focused on academics. The program also provides academic and social support to first-generation students, by raising awareness of important campus resources, helping them negotiate faculty/staff interactions, sharing opportunities for involvement in clubs and teams, providing a personal connection for overall support, and much more.

In Fall 2021, the program supported 16 incoming freshmen students, and another 10 incoming freshmen students in Fall 2022. Each student selected for the program is awarded a $5,000 scholarship each year for 4 years as long as the required GPA and program participation are maintained, and financial need is demonstrated. With plans to support another cohort for Fall 2023, SD-FIRST will provide academic, social, and financial support to a total of more than 35 students over 6 years! SD-FIRST scholars participate in one workshop or event each month throughout the year, meet with peer mentors and academic advisors, and maintain a close relationship with the program coordinator. The program values emotional intelligence – one predictor of student success – which is evaluated and monitored for the program participants, with a goal of increasing student emotional intelligence through specifically designed programmatic elements. Other on-going success measures of the program include a wide applicant pool, high average GPA and high level of need of the scholars, and the campus involvement of students in the program.

Citation
Format

Birrenkott, C. M., & Kellar, J. J., & West, M., & Herrera, J. (2023, June), Board 407: The SD-FIRST Program – Impact on First-Generation Students Paper presented at 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Baltimore , Maryland. 10.18260/1-2--42714

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The SD-FIRST program at xxx is a support program geared towards first-generation students, and to creating an environment where they will thrive and find success – the first of its kind on the xxx campus. As the first in their families to attend college and complete a college degree, first-generation students and their support systems can lack firsthand experience navigating the higher education world, making the journey overwhelming. The SD-FIRST program aims to fill that void by removing some financial burden and giving students the academic and social tools they need to be successful, all while helping them navigate college.

On the xxx campus, nearly 1/3 of students in each incoming freshmen class are first-generation students. Moreover, of the xxx students who classify as low socio-economic status (42% of campus population), 80% of those are first-generation students. By comparison to “generational” students who have familial experience with college, first-generation students graduate at a much lower rate (at xxx, the 5-year graduation rate is 24% for first-generation students vs 49% for generational students). While xxx has many resources available for all students, first-generation students can face challenges of not knowing where to who to turn to for help on campus.

The goals of the SD-FIRST program are to increase recruitment, retention, and success of first-generation students by providing a robust, evidence-based support system that awards scholarships to students and connects them with other financial-aid opportunities to help alleviate financial burden and help scholars to remain focused on academics. The program also provides academic and social support to first-generation students, by raising awareness of important campus resources, helping them negotiate faculty/staff interactions, sharing opportunities for involvement in clubs and teams, providing a personal connection for overall support, and much more.

In Fall 2021, the program supported 16 incoming freshmen students, and another 10 incoming freshmen students in Fall 2022. Each student selected for the program is awarded a $5,000 scholarship each year for 4 years as long as the required GPA and program participation are maintained, and financial need is demonstrated. With plans to support another cohort for Fall 2023, SD-FIRST will provide academic, social, and financial support to a total of more than 35 students over 6 years! SD-FIRST scholars participate in one workshop or event each month throughout the year, meet with peer mentors and academic advisors, and maintain a close relationship with the program coordinator. The program values emotional intelligence – one predictor of student success – which is evaluated and monitored for the program participants, with a goal of increasing student emotional intelligence through specifically designed programmatic elements. Other on-going success measures of the program include a wide applicant pool, high average GPA and high level of need of the scholars, and the campus involvement of students in the program.
AU  - Cassandra M Birrenkott
AU  - Jon J Kellar
AU  - Michael West
AU  - Jesse Herrera
CY  - Baltimore , Maryland
DA  - 2023/06/25
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Board 407: The SD-FIRST Program – Impact on First-Generation Students
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/42714
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--42714
ER  -