Kenneth Brown and colleagues led a conference session on first-generation graduate student success at the inaugural Gardner Institute Graduate Student Experience conference that is helping to shape higher education’s approach to graduate student education.
Elon faculty and staff members Kenneth Brown, Laké Laosebikan-Buggs, Amy Overman, Elana Gutmann, Darynha Gnep and Travella Free were co-presenters of a roundtable session on first-generation graduate students at the Gardner Institute’s inaugural conference focusing on graduate students that was recently highlighted in a Chronicle of Higher Education article.
The Graduate Student Experience: Redesigning Graduate School so Every Student can Flourish and Finish, was held March 25-27, in Asheville, North Carolina, and centered on the needs of graduate students under a threefold aim “to reduce graduate student withdrawals and separations, enhance student experience and wellbeing, and strengthen post-graduate outcomes.” Hundreds of attendees gathered for meaningful reflection, discussion and a call to action to improve higher education’s approach to graduate student education.
In the roundtable session, “Understanding the First-Generation Graduate School Experience,” the Elon team first shared data from a survey they conducted to gather graduate student perspectives on their academic experiences. Brown, assistant director of first-generation student support services, led a discussion with participants to identify crucial information needed from students and campus constituents to better provide comprehensive and holistic institutional support for first-generation graduate students. Participants discussed topics such as how academic programs and campus characteristics factor into fostering belonging among first-generation graduate students and how institutions can better facilitate the shift from undergraduate to graduate experiences for first-generation students.
The John N. Gardiner Institute is a nationally-recognized nonprofit organization that partners “with colleges, universities, philanthropic organizations, educators, and other entities to increase institutional responsibility for improving outcomes associated with teaching, learning, retention, and completion.”
Laosebikan-Buggs is the director of inclusive excellence for graduate and professional education, Overman is ssistant provost for scholarship and creative activity; Gutmann and Gnep are graduate apprentices and Master’s of Higher Education program students, and Free is executive director of the Center for Access and Success.