DEFINITION

White there is no universal definition for first-generation college student and much
of the research uses the definition a student with neither parent having any
education beyond high school, we choose to define a first-generation college
student as neither parent having received a four-year college degree. Im
First
First generation students can come from families with lo incomes or from middle- or
higher-income families without a college-going tradition. Some have parents
who support their plans for higher education; others are under family pressure to
enter the workforce right after high school. The College Board
An individual both of whose parents did not complete a baccalaureate degree; or in
the case of any individual who regularly resided with and received support form
only one parent, an individual whose only usch parent did not complete a
baccalaureate degree. Higher Education Act of 1965, 1998 Higher Education
Act Amendments Sec.402B(6)g1(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyJRiCWy7xo

WHO THEY/(WE) ARE: COMMON ISSUES,

FEARS, & EMOTIONS
Financial Worries
My family doesnt have
that kind of money

Academic
Frustrations
I was in the top of my
class.

Emotional
Component
Am I going to make it and
be someone in the world?

STARS PEER MENTOR PROGRAM

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
CHICAGO

The STARS program is for

first year, freshman
students who are the
first in their families to
attend college. During
the fall semester, these
students are matched
with an upperclassman
to support them in their
transition to college life.
- Multicultural Student
Engagement Office

The Mentors will not only serve as a social support but will
be responsible for coordinating activities (academic and
social) that will help their Mentees become acclimated to
the Concordia community. MSE Office Website

Student and Family First Generation Reception, August 21,

2013

Website resources for prospective students/families

Blog from U.S. News and World Report
Trailer for First Generation: The Film
Link to book and DVD material from The First in the Family:
Your College Years short video snippets
Link to Know How 2Go
ACT publication for parents supporting prospective First
Gen students

STARS PEER MENTOR

PROGRAM

UNDERSTANDING FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The average freshman award for the current year is $13,000.
The average total financial aid package is $25,500.
Financial Aid Website
Education is both a process as well as an investment
When I learned about how affordable Concordia-Chicago
could be, I decided to apply. The financial aid I received was
more than I got from other schools I applied to, and it brought
the cost down the most. Anthony Huspen, Theatre and
graphic arts double major from Norridge, Illinois (Financial Aid
Website)

 Transparent and
Informative
Accommodating
to unique
circumstances

FINANCIAL AID AND FINANCIAL

LITERACY AMONG STUDENTS

Access and
Affordability

FINANCIAL AID AND FINANCIAL

LITERACY AMONG STUDENTS

Managing Your Finances: Financial literacy for the

prospective, current, and post college student
Budget strategies
Investment basics
Resolving debt
Student loans
Credit cards

ACADEMIC ADVISING: CURRENT SERVICES

AND TECHNIQUES
Appreciative and
proactive advising
Intended to increase
student success through

Enhancing student
motivation
Demonstrating interest and
involvement in students
lives
Educating students on all
options
Approaching students
before situations develop

This is practiced
through six
phases:

Disarm, discover,
dream, design, deliver,
and dont settle

FINANCIAL AID AND FINANCIAL

LITERACY AMONG STUDENTS

Managing Your Finances: Financial literacy for the

prospective, current, and post college student
Budget strategies
Investment basics
Resolving debt
Student loans
Credit cards

 How to Get Good Grades

Time Management, Getting Organized

ACADEMIC LEADERS SERIES

WORKSHOPS

Lewis & Clark Major Selection for Undeclared

Students

COLLABORATIVE INITIATIVES IDEAS

Start a specific First Gen student organization

Establish campus traditions specifically for first gen students (like homecoming,
graduation events, end of the year celebrations)

Work with campus communications (e.g. newspaper/magazine, websites, public

relations office, alumni office) to publicize stores about the successes of First
Generation Concordia students.

Partnership programing between faculty and student affairs professionals

Mandatory mid-term grade reports

Hold a focus groups with current First Gen students to identify and determine
what they need and how they can best be served specifically at CUC

Outreach to First Gen college alumni

Incorporate First Gen families and parents into campus events aside from
welcome week reception.

Mission:
As a distinctive, comprehensive university of The
Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod, centered in the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, and based in the liberal
arts, Concordia University Chicago equips men
and women to serve and lead with integrity,
creativity, competence and compassion in a
diverse, interconnected and increasingly
urbanized church and world.
Vision (2012):
Rooted in its Christian heritage of engaging
knowledge and faith, Concordia University Chicago
aspires to be the destination university for all who
seek to develop their full individual potential
through a distinctive, innovative and dynamic
environment of exploration, creativity and
discovery for leading lives of servant-minded
leadership.

IMAGE ATTRIBUTIONS

Record Freshman Class Enrolls for Fall 2013. (2013, December 1).
<i>Forrester</i>, 12-13.

F1RST image: http://studentsuccess.unc.edu/first-generation-college-students/

Concordia University STARS Peer Mentor 2013: We're excited to announce our Fall
2013 STARS Peer Mentors! [ca. 20130. in Facebook CUC's Office of Multicultural
Student Engagement. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
https://www.facebook.com/ConcordiaOMSE/photos/pb.
163507327028776.-2207520000.1428855272./522939184418920/?
type=3&theater

Pillars image: https://www.linkedin.com/edu/concordia-university-chicago-18252

Scorecard image: http://collegecost.ed.gov/scorecard/UniversityProfile.aspx?
org=s&id=144351
Final Concordia Logo: https://www.higheredjobs.com/InstitutionProfile.cfm?
ProfileID=15831