Faculty and first-generation college students

The population of first-generation college students (FGS) is increasing in an ever-tightening economy, a time when employers demand a college degree even for an initial interview. According to a 2007 study by UCLA s Higher Education Research Institute, nearly one in six freshmen at American four-year institutions is first generation. However, FGS often straddle different cultures between school and home, and many feel socially, ethnically, academically, and emotionally marginalized on campus. Because of these disparities, FGS frequently encounter barriers to academic success and require additional campus support resources. Some institutions offer increased financial aid and loan-free aid packages to FGS, but these remedies although welcome do not fully address the diverse and complex challenges that these students experience. Responding to these complexities, this volume's chapters extend previous research by examining the multiple transitions experienced by both undergraduate and graduate FGS. This volume's cuttingedge research will help college and university administrators, faculty, and staff work better with FGS through more effective pedagogy and institutional programs. Ultimately, this volume affirms how learning communities are strengthened when they include diverse student populations such as FGS and meet their particular emotional, academic, and financial needs.