For a variety of reasons, many first-generation students find it challenging to complete their college education. In an effort to retain and matriculate these students in the university, a program co-sponsored by Academic Affairs and the Division of Student Services is being offered to pair students with faculty members who serve in the capacity of mentors.
Students and faculty work together to improve academic achievement, retention and graduation rates of students. Both gain a better understanding of the needs and concerns of today's diverse college students through participation in the program.
The 1980s saw a significant increase in the number of students enrolled in colleges and universities who did not have the benefit of any family history in postsecondary education. The growing number of first-generation students elicited a great deal of interest among academicians who sought to provide them with support systems. In 1988, faculty members and student development professionals at California State University, Long Beach collaborated to establish such a system.
