In Ashley Hurtado’s piece in State Hornet, Sacramento State University’s newspaper, she describes an exciting initiative at her school. Sacramento State, one of our college partners, launched the faculty student mentorship program in 1987. Open to all students, the program focuses primarily on underrepresented students, and helps these students link up with faculty mentors in their department. Students and professors alike remark about the strength of the bonds between students and their faculty mentors. Many first-gen students take advantage of the program, which can be especially helpful for students looking to gain admission into the university’s most competitive programs, such as nursing. Overall, the faculty mentors help students with everything from academic questions, to general, college transition issues.
At I’m First, we really believe in the power of mentors, including faculty mentors. Our college partner search tool helps students evaluate their prospective schools based on the kinds of programs that are important to them, such as peer and faculty mentors initiatives. Chapman University is another example of a college partner l that has a special mentor program for first-gens, called the Promising Futures Mentor Program. At I’m First, we are committed to helping first-gen students gain access to the kind of college information that matters most to them. Mentor programs are just one of the many things our college profiles highlight for our students.
Besides mentor programs, what other kinds of programs are colleges implementing to help first-gen students? How else are schools getting students and faculty involved in helping first gens?