First Generation College Students Day

On Wednesday, Nov. 8, Concord University celebrated its first-generation college students with a special day devoted to giving them an opportunity to share their first-generation status. The celebration coincides with the 52nd anniversary of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

    Approximately 52 faculty and staff at Concord who were first generation college students committed to wearing a special shirt declaring their first-generation status. Dr. Marjie Flanigan, Vice President of Student Affairs Dean of Students, participated in the event as she is a first-generation student. This is the first year that Concord has done this event.

    The Counsel for Opportunities in Education was where the idea for the event originated: “The concept of ‘first-generation’ students was introduced into federal policy by the TRIO community in 1980, during passage of the Higher Education Amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965. Yet, even in 2017, campuses and communities are too often blind to the academic capabilities and gifts that lie dormant within so many first-generation students. TRIO educators continue to be called upon to highlight the return on investment our country receives from providing first-generation students with an opportunity to reach their full potential through college,” says the organization.

    Dr. Flanigan says, “Many first generation students face extra challenges entering and completing college, including added financial pressures, but all students can benefit from the services offered by their institutions, including Concord. It’s important to persevere and complete that degree! As a sign on my desk says, ‘I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy, I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it!’ Earning a college degree is challenging, but well worth the investment of time and money. Research shows that bachelor’s degree holders on average earn one million more over their lifetime than high school-only graduates, and the gap is widening. ”    

    Research has shown that over the course of a lifetime, a person with a college degree will earn up to 84 percent more in their lifetime than a person without a bachelor’s degree. This could be up to one million more in a lifetime. This is important to West Virginia because when the state is looked at, overall, less than 30 percent of the population holds a four-year degree. In the southern region of the state that Concord University specifically hopes to serve, that number is even less.

    Dr. Flanigan also encourages “students, first-generation or otherwise, to utilize the resources on campus to help them through.”

    For more information about this event or for more information about what is being done for first-generation students at Concord University, contact Dr. Marjie Flanigan at mflanigan@concord.edu.