“Shared Determination”: How People and Context Drive the Establishment of First-Gen Student Support Centers in Higher Education

Abstract

As colleges and universities focus on admitting and supporting more first-generation college students (FGCS), there is a need to examine ongoing and structural support for students after matriculation. Research has focused on how higher education supports FGCS individually. However, colleges and universities play a role in facilitating support for FGCS. First-generation student support centers (FGSSC) are a new resource on campus. There is limited research on how these centers are created and the people who drive this organizational change. This multi-site case study provides insight into how colleges and universities change to address the needs of FGCS and their multiple intersecting identities. From this study, I propose a model for how colleges and universities can establish their own FGSSCs through a four-phase process that emphasizes the importance of context and relationship-building throughout the investigation, ideation, and creation of these spaces.