C E N T E R F O R F I R S T - G E N E R A T I O N S T U D E N T S U C C E S S , N A S P A A N D T H E N C C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E S Y S T E M P R E S E N T S : THE FIRST- GENERATION SYMPOSIUM " TWO- YEAR EDITION"

M A R C H 1 1 , 2 0 2 1

9:00am - 4:00pm Virtual Sessions S C H E D U L E O F E V E N T S

OPENING SESSION - 9 AM

Welcome Featured Speaker: Jennifer McLean, Community College System

First-generation Student Success at Community & Technical Colleges: An Analysis of Programs Moderator: Mr. Travis Kinsey, Featured Speaker: Dr. Sarah Whitley, AVP Center for First- Generation Student Success

CONCURRENT SESSIONS 10 AM - 2:50 PM

See Next Page for Concurrent Session Information

SPECIAL STUDENT SESSION - 12 PM

First-generation Students in Community College: A Dialogue on Lived Experiences, Institutional Support, and Creating Success Moderator: Cynthia Quintero, Robeson Community College Featured Speaker: Dr. Sarah Whitley, AVP Center for First-Generation Student Success

CLOSING SESSION - 3 PM

The State of First-generation Student Success Moderator: Dr. Sarah Whitley Panelist: Keisha Jones, Davidson-Davie CC; Jairo McMican Central Carolina CC; Nathan Vasquez, Gaston CC Savannah Mercer,

F I R S T G E N C O N F E R E N C E CONCURRENT SESSIONS

10:00 AM - 10:50 AM Session A – Dr. Robert Longwell- Grice, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee School of Education; Dr. Ryan Padgett, Northern Kentucky University & Dr. Matthew Fifolt University of Alabama Birmingham; Hadyn Swecker (Student Success) At the Intersection: Understanding and Support FG Students Session B- Dr. Kelci Kosin, Ball State University; (Student Success) Empowering FG Students Through Personal Experience and Intrusive Advising

11:00 AM - 11:50 AM Session A - Dr. Jeffery Allen, Vance - Granville Community College; (Equity) Success Strategies for First-Year AA males enrolled in a Community College Session B - Susan Marsh and Lori Cohens, Pitt Community College; (Student Success) FYE + 1st Gen=Weaving System of Support

1:00 PM - 1:50PM Session A - Dr. Craig Smith, Takisha Mundy, Lisa Linquist, Kelly Dunbar, Montgomery Community College, & Tyler Steffy; ( COVID 19- Response) The Power of Collaboration: Innovations in Higher Education Session B - Amelia Bain and Mecca Waller, Pitt Community College; (Student Success) I belong Too! Mentoring the First-Generation College Student

2:00 PM - 2:50PM Session A - Dr. Sonny Kelly, Fayetteville Technical Community College; (Student Success) Creating Rhythms of Relationships and Purpose of Student Success Session B – Dr. Shakeena White and Brooke Green, Pitt Community College; (COVID 19- Response) StudentConnections in a Remote Environment.

CONCURRENT SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

Dr. Robert Longwell- Grice, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee School of Education; Dr. Ryan Padgett, Northern Kentucky University & Dr. Matthew Fifolt University of Alabama Birmingham; Hadyn Swecker (Student Success) At the Intersection: Understanding and Support FG Students - This workshop will be a discussion of the book, At the Intersection: Understanding and Supporting First-Generation College Students (2021, Stylus Publishing). The four authors will present information from the chapters they wrote for the book. Their chapters will include information on recent trends in First Gen research; the role of academic advising in working with First-Generation College Students; and the impact of student services on First-Generation student success. There will be ample time for discussion with participants. Dr. Kelci Kosin, Ball State University; (Student Success) Empowering FG Students Through Personal Experience and Intrusive Advising; I remember sitting in the Office of Financial Aid each semester as an undergraduate student, facing financial decisions I had no guidance in making, and thinking “I shouldn’t be here.” Needless to say, these trips to the Office of Financial Aid always brought tears. I came from a single-parent, low-income situation with a perceived low chance of attaining my ambitious academic and personal goals of being an opera singer. I was the poster child for what it means to be a first-generation student. But, I made it. I asked questions Susan Marsh and Lori Cohens, Pitt Community College; (Student Success) FYE + 1st Gen=Weaving System of Support; Pitt Community College utilizes intrusive advising with first-generation college students in an effort to build strong relationships and establish a system of support that envelops the student holistically. Student Success Advisors will discuss best practices and techniques for advising first-generation college students and provide the framework for a successful first-year experience to include a variety of campus resources, the use of AVISO, and various event programming., I struggled, I kept going, and three degrees later here I am. For years, I was embarrassed about my story and my struggles. Now, however, I believe that this is the story other first-generation students need to hear: that they are not alone. This presentation is meant to celebrate student success by taking a look at how we as advisors can use our personal experience and the intrusive advising model to empower our first-generation students.

CONCURRENT SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

Dr. Jeffery Allen, Vance - Granville Community College; (Equity) Success Strategies for First- Year AA males enrolled in a Community College; The persistence of African American males enrolled at a community college is critical to the achievement of their academic and career goals. However, African American males are one of the lowest-performing subgroups at many community colleges. This interactive session will give participants the opportunity to discover practices and resources that engage and support this population during their first year from a national and local perspective. Participants will learn about common practices for supporting this population, as well as how to engage faculty concerning their success in the classroom. Dr. Craig Smith, Takisha Mundy, Lisa Linquist, Kelly Dunbar, Montgomery Community College, & Tyler Steffy; ( COVID 19- Response) The Power of Collaboration: Innovations in Higher Education; This workshop will highlight current challenges faced by Student Affair practitioners during COVID and how theoretical underpinnings within program design is/was able to curtail some of the success barriers experienced by virtual students. A group of Student Affairs leaders banded together to expand capacity and to strengthen their outreach and engagement to students in hopes of ensuring student persistence. The directors of Student Support Programs, Career Services, Student Athletics, Children Center, and Student Programs collaborated to design a variety of student initiatives that ensured their ability to engage and to connect with students despite the wedge brought about by COVID. Amelia Bain and Mecca Waller, Pitt Community College; (Student Success) I belong Too! Mentoring the First-Generation College Student; As a First-gen Forward institution, Pitt Community College {PCC) developed the 1st Gen Fellows mentoring program aimed at creating a sense of belonging for first-generation students. In an effort to enhance the college experience, PCC paired first-generation college students with first-generation faculty and staff members to enhance academic, social, and professional endeavors of its participants. This session will highlight implementation and design strategies of PCC's 1st Gen Fellows Mentoring Program, share best practices in mentoring, and showcase recent data and outcomes to support the need of such programs.

CONCURRENT SESSION DESCRIPTIONS

Dr. Sonny Kelly, Fayetteville Technical Community College; (Student Success) Creating Rhythms of Relationships and Purpose of Student Success; No one cares how much you know till they know how much you care. First-generation students must be surrounded by caring faculty who will take the time to get to know them, challenge them to pursue their purpose, and celebrate their victories (big and small). Dr. Sonny Kelly leads participants in a series of theater games, dialogic exercises, and embodied practices based upon Paolo Eire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed model, and Dr. Kelly's 30-year experience with theatrical performance and over 15 years of teaching. Students learn best when they feel connected to purpose, their professor, peers, and a clear learning process. This workshop is the culmination of decades of Dr. Kelly's successful experience of using performance and poetry to maximize positive teacher impact on the learning and lives of marginalized and underrepresented students.

Dr. Shakeena White and Brooke Green, Pitt Community College; (COVID 19-Response) Student Connections in a Remote Environment; Advisors can connect with students in a remote environment. Learn how Pitt Community College leveraged current resources (ex. Aviso Retention, My Advising Page, and Virtual New Student Orientation) to connect with First-Year Students remotely.

Thank You & Sponsors

Conference Committee Jennifer McLean Travis Kinsey Keisha Jones Cynthia Quintero Felita Carr Renita Johnson Kathy Allen Dennis Rivers Jairo McMican Abraham Dones Jasmin Spain

Thank you to all of our presenters and sponsors