UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — All members of the Penn State community are invited to present at the second annual First-Gen Student Support Summit on Wednesday, March 29. This one-day conference, sponsored by the Student Success Center, will be an occasion to recognize, learn and build community surrounding the first-generation student experience at Penn State.
The summit, which will feature both virtual and in-person components, will be an opportunity for participants to share best practices, network with one another, and cultivate a community of practice across the University. The summit aims to prominently feature the voices of first-generation students, whose firsthand perspectives can inform efforts to support and advocate for this student population. Last year’s inaugural event brought together more than 330 Penn State faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, graduate students and undergraduate students from 20 residential Penn State campuses and Penn State World Campus. A full recap of last year’s event can be found here.
The 2023 First-Gen Student Support Summit will focus on the theme of mentorship. Therefore, summit organizers are encouraging a variety of proposals that show how both informal and formal mentorship opportunities can support the success of first-generation students at Penn State. Topic areas may include the following:
- The importance of mentorship (perspectives from both sides of the relationship).
- Examples of various forms of mentorship programs (e.g., formal, informal, short-term, long-term, peer-to-peer, "multi-generational").
- Skills for effective mentorship (e.g., building relationships, setting expectations, and overcoming challenges).
- Remote mentorship (building connections through virtual platforms and social networks).
- Career-related mentorship.
- Student-sponsored and student-driven mentorship programs.
- Cross-campus or cross-department/office mentorship collaborations.
- Mentorship through academic advising.
- Mentorship through co-curricular advising.
- Faculty-led mentorship programs or opportunities.
- Mentorship research, data or theory-informed practice.
Members of the Penn State community are invited to submit a presentation proposal on this form. The priority proposal submission deadline is Thursday, Feb. 16, and the final proposal deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 21. More details are provided on the form itself. Presenters can choose to record their presentation in advance or stream their talk live through Whova, the virtual platform on which the summit will be hosted. All members of Penn State’s first-generation community are invited to present.
Penn State defines “first-generation student” as any student whose immediate parents or legal guardians have not completed a baccalaureate degree. Approximately 1 in 4 currently enrolled Penn State undergraduates identifies as first-generation, according to data collected during the admissions process.
The summit will include virtual sessions on Whova, along with opportunities for in-person networking. A registration link (along with more information on the summit) will be posted to Penn State News and available on the Student Success Center website in the coming weeks.
Questions about the summit can be directed to Denise Poole at dmp6115@psu.edu.
The Student Success Center is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education.