As part of National First-Generation Day on Monday, Nov. 8, UVM will be hosting a special celebration in the Davis Center Atrium from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. First-generation students and other partners from across campus will participate in the event, and take advantage of resources, give-aways, hot cider, and the opportunity to meet others who are also first-generation students. 

In addition, Undergraduate Admissions will be organizing its annual Discovering UVM recruitment event for prospective students who are traditionally underrepresented in higher education, including first-generation and/or students from underrepresented cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. Admissions is expecting to host 75 students, 55 of whom are Upward Bound students from Vermont and upstate New York.

The events are part of a concerted initiative to identify and improve campus-wide activities to support first-generation students at all levels. In February 2021, Provost and Senior Vice President Patty Prelock charged the First-Generation Initiatives Steering Committee to lead this effort.

“This work comes at a critical juncture for the University in order to improve access, equity, and retention of first-generation students in a proactive, strategic, and coordinated approach to allow for institutional investment in expanded support for this cohort of unique and talented students,” said Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Jay Jacobs.

The steering committee will provide institutional leadership and strategic planning to ensure a coordinated and sustained focus on improving the success of UVM’s first-generation students. “As an affirmation of our institutional commitment, UVM was recently  selected to participate in the third national cohort of First Scholar institutions which affords access to best practices, expert guidance, benchmarking, and a wealth of resources to support our ongoing efforts,” said Jacobs.

The steering committee has had a few successes since its inception in February, including:

• Committing to a definition of a first-generation student at UVM. UVM defines first-generation college students as those for whom no parent or guardian completed a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. college or university.
• Formally changing the banner code identifying first-generation students from KGEN to FGEN.
• Establishing FirstGen@UVM, a new program dedicated to supporting first-generation students at UVM housed under the Center for Academic Success. The FirstGen@UVM website is a centralized location that will be continually updated with resources, services and events for the first-generation community. All community members who identify as first-generation can self-identify via a form on the website under the “Make Connections” section. It will also host spotlight features of others throughout UVM who identify as first-generation.
• Supporting student leaders as they launch UVM Firsts, a new student organization founded by and designed for first-generation students at UVM. They meet every other Monday from 7pm – 8pm in the Mosaic Center classroom. They are in the process of becoming a recognized organization by the Student Government Association.