by Dr. Shirley M. Collado and Dr. Tony Frank
Across America’s college and universities, first-generation students make up more than 40% of each entering class, and yet they face a range of obstacles that make them less likely to graduate. A recent report from the Brookings Institution estimates that first-gen students are 16% less likely to complete degrees than are other college students, with the disparity most pronounced at the less selective and open admissions institutions these students are more likely to attend.
And this disparity only applies to first-gen students who enrolled at a college in the first place. First-generation status is associated with lower family incomes and coming from communities of color, rural areas, or military families, all statistically connected to a lower chance of enrolling in college.
The net result of these patterns of college completion and enrollment for first-gen students calls into question the pretense that our country is a meritocracy and that the circumstances of a child’s birth aren’t predictive. According to the Pew Research Center, more than 80% of adults who have two parents with at least bachelor’s degrees reached that level of education. Of adults with no family history of degree completion or college attendance, only 20% hold bachelor’s degrees.
To make genuine progress and realize the potential of more first-generation students, we need new approaches, both within higher education and across our society.
That thinking played heavily into the formation of a new partnership between our organizations. College Track is a comprehensive college completion program that partners with high school scholars at centers in 12 communities and has college scholars attending nearly 300 colleges and universities across the country. The high school centers are hubs where thousands of participants, predominantly students focused on becoming the first in their families to graduate college, leverage guidance, mentoring, and support from the start of high school through college and into the early stages of their careers.
The Colorado State University System has degree-granting campuses in Fort Collins and Pueblo, an online university, CSU Global, and a brand-new campus in Denver, CSU Spur. The CSU Spur campus flips the traditional model for higher education, opening its doors to put research and career possibilities on stage for the public at large, and specifically for preK-12 students and their families.
Through our partnership, College Track has relocated its Denver center to CSU Spur, making it the organization’s first center on a college campus. This fall, about 50 students from Denver high schools started coming to CSU Spur two or more times a week for College Track’s specialized program focused on academics, wellness, and leadership, and also on demystifying and decoding everything from college admissions to campus life. Over time, the center will expand to more than 250 high school participants, many drawn from neighborhoods surrounding CSU Spur.
Our partnership extends beyond the experience that College Track scholars will have at CSU Spur. Part of our collaboration will result in the creation of a new pathway for at least 25 College Track students each year to pursue bachelor’s degrees at one of the CSU System campuses. We know our work together is only a starting point, and that other approaches and perspectives are needed. We are inspired by efforts that are already making a difference, including the Aspen Institute’s American Talent Initiative, which with funding from Michael Bloomberg and other donors is supporting a national network of colleges and universities focused on sharing best practices for attracting, enrolling, and graduating students from low-income families.
We know first-generation college students and those from underserved communities face profound, systemic barriers that stand in the way of their success. Removing these obstacles will require deep commitment and sustained effort. That’s why College Track makes a 10-year promise to every one of its 4,000 high school and college scholars. The program, developed iteratively over 25 years, reflects the experiences of more than 1,100 first-generation college alumni. Now is a time to think about scale – and operationalizing new models that activate students’ potential in spaces that weren’t originally built for the success of people from all walks of life.
Dr. Shirley M. Collado is President and CEO of College Track. She served as the ninth President of Ithaca College, and was named President Emerita of the institution at the conclusion of her tenure there.
Dr. Tony Frank is the Chancellor of the Colorado State University System.
This message was included in Chancellor Frank’s October newsletter. Click here to subscribe to the Chancellor’s monthly letter.