The Kessler Presidential Scholars Program, which was established at the University of Michigan (U-M) to support first-generation students financially and academically, will expand to more institutions across the country this fall.
The program will be launched at Johns Hopkins University, Queens College, St. Francis College and Syracuse University. They will join Cornell University, which started the scholars program last year.
“We have had just enormous support and enthusiasm from each of the partner schools on this project,” said Dr. Gail Gibson, director of the Kessler Presidential Scholars Program at U-M’s College of Literature, Science and the Arts. “But coming together and working on this project, even if at this extraordinarily busy and complicated time, really has been a real bright light. And I think each of us sees the way that this kind of support for students is just more critical now than ever and is really driving, I think, some of the early successful work in this space.”
At Syracuse University, 17% of undergraduates identify as first generation. Huey Hsiao, associate director in the Office of Multicultural Affairs at Syracuse, said the scholars program will “support the university’s longstanding commitment to enhance first-generation college student access, inclusion and success.”
“Through this program, we seek to provide first-generation college students with a network of support to enhance their holistic student experience, in and out of the classroom, and help them thrive as scholars, leaders and global citizens as they pursue their goals during their time at and beyond Syracuse University,” added Hsiao, who will run the Kessler Scholars Program at Syracuse.
The scholars program was established in 2007 at U-M by Fred Wilpon, a first-generation student, alongside his wife Judy Wilpon, who are both alumni of the school. It was originally established as a scholarship program for first-generation students. In combination with institutional and federal aid support, students are offered financial assistance that covers the total cost of attendance for four years of college.
“That economic piece is addressed in a pretty substantial way for these students and that opens up possibilities for students to explore other opportunities,” said Gibson.
