First Generation Serving Institutions - Fgsis

Will Barratt, Ph.D.

Coffman Distinguished Professor

Bayh College of Education

Indiana State University

This article proposes creating a novel college in addition to academy classification: First Generation Serving Institutions (FGSIs).  This would reverberate both an of import segment of colleges in addition to abide by an of import college going population inwards the US.  Campuses alongside particular missions are an honored business office of the higher didactics landscape, in addition to recognizing that some campuses serve a large percent of initiatory of all generation students is important. 

There are many ways to assort colleges in addition to universities.  The Higher Education Act of 1965 defined Historically Black Colleges in addition to Universities (HBCUs) in addition to Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), in addition to the Tribal Colleges in addition to Universities (TCUs) receive got been a classification since the American Indian Higher Education Consortium was founded inwards 1972.  Predominately White Institutions (PWIs) is non an official institutional classification only is widely used inwards scholarship. 

First-generation students receive got been on campuses since the get-go of post-secondary education, members of this grouping receive got garnered recent attending inwards the US.  Often called the invisible minority, first-generation students are on every campus of every kind, in addition to some campuses receive got to a greater extent than than others.  Some campuses receive got plenty to travel considered First Generation Serving Institutions.

Defining First Generation Students

There are at to the lowest degree 3 competing definitions for first-generation student:

1)      Both parents receive got at most a high schoolhouse diploma in addition to neither has whatever sense inwards whatever post-secondary institution.  This includes 44.1% percent of the population over 25 according to the U.S. Census Bureau (2010).

2)      One or both parents has at to the lowest degree some sense inwards college in addition to neither bring upward has a 2 twelvemonth college degree, or higher.  This includes 60% percent of the adult population over 25 according to the U.S. Census Bureau (2010).

3)      The binary stance of initiatory of all generation should travel expanded to include multiple levels of parental didactics using the following, or similar, list:

a.       Some high school, no diploma

b.      High schoolhouse diploma, no sense inwards any post-secondary institution

c.       Partial college (at to the lowest degree i year), no degree

d.      Associate’s degree

e.       Bachelor’s or graduate degree

I suggest here, for the purposes of defining First Generation Serving Institutions, accepting the most conservative in addition to most widely used definition.  The U.S. Department of didactics defines first-generation students equally those “whose parents never enrolled inwards post-secondary education” (U.S. Department of Education, 1998, p. v).  It should non overstep the reader’s detect that at that topographic point is an overlap betwixt first-generation students in addition to minority students because of the historically depression rates of post-secondary education participation in addition to grade completion of people who are ethnic minorities inwards the US.

Defining First Generation Serving Institutions

I suggest that if at to the lowest degree 50% of the undergraduate students enrolled at a 4-year college or academy are first-generation, having parents alongside no post-secondary experience, hence that campus is an FGSI.  50% would hateful that at that topographic point are a bulk of initiatory of all generation students on campus in addition to is twice the percent of all students enrolled inwards 4-year colleges inwards 2007-2008 who had parents alongside a high schoolhouse diploma or less. 

Table 1

Percent of adult population in addition to college students past times parental educational attainment inwards 2007-2008

Parental education	US population over 25	2-year world college students	4-year world in addition to mortal college students
High schoolhouse diploma or less	44.1%	39.7%	25.0%
Some postsecondary education, no degree	16.8%	29.3%	24.6%
Bachelor’s grade or higher	29.9%	31.0%	50.4%

(U.S. Census, 2010, Table 1; U.S. Department of Education, 2010, Table 3.11)

For comparing purposes greenback that according to the U.S. regime HSIs must enroll at to the lowest degree 25% Hispanic full-time equivalent undergraduate students.  To travel a Title I K-12 schoolhouse at that topographic point must travel around 70% of the students eligible for gratis or reduced lunch.  The precise criteria for a Title I schoolhouse are dynamic, political, in addition to regional.  Everyone is serious close Title I criteria because supplemental resources are available to Title I schools.  Perhaps the U.S. in addition to state Departments of Education should consider supplemental resources for FGSIs.

Community colleges receive got been described equally access institutions, which is a code discussion for First Generation Serving Institutions.  The criteria to travel a First Generation Serving Community College (FGSCC) should likely travel higher than for a FGSI because they already enroll, inwards the aggregate, 40% first-generation students spell 4-year institutions, inwards the aggregate, enroll exclusively 25% first-generation students.

Second Generation Serving Institutions

SGSIs tin similarly travel defined using this same 50% charge per unit of measurement for pupil attendance.  Second-generation students receive got parents alongside a bachelor’s grade or higher.  While this championship tin travel seen equally elitist, in addition to consequently pejorative, it is a description of the reality that 52.7% of students at all U.S. mortal colleges in addition to universities in addition to 49.3% of students at donkey U.S. world colleges in addition to universities were instant generation inwards 2007-2008 (U.S. Department of Education, 2010).  The economic scheme has likely affected these percentages during the past times four years inwards interesting ways.  A to a greater extent than generous criteria, for illustration 70% of second-generation students, volition trim the position out of SGSIs considerably, only the listing of SGSIs withal matches the listing of selective universities.

A Proxy Measure to travel an FGSI

I suggest that equally a proxy for a 50% straight mensurate of parental didactics that nosotros tin exercise 40% percent of students on a campus who receive got a Pell Grant, which are designated for students from depression income homes.  A 20% Pell Grant recipient bird volition function equally an estimate dash board indicator for an SGSI.  Not every college in addition to academy collects parental didactics information in addition to it non easily available inwards a world information base.  While parental didactics is reported on the FASFA not every pupil completes a FASFA. However, every schoolhouse collects information on Pell Grants in addition to that information is available for each campus at CollegeNavigator.gov on the Financial Aid tab. 

A 40% Pell Grant recipient bird is an estimate value since the human relationship betwixt Pell Grant status in addition to generation status is moderate only positive, in addition to the human relationship betwixt menage unit of measurement income in addition to parental educational attainment is high in addition to positive.  Until colleges in addition to universities study their first-generation pupil percents the Pell Grant percents volition serve equally a approximate dash board indicator.  

Whether or non the Pell Grant percent is a expert estimate mensurate of the percent of initiatory of all generation students on campus is a affair for research, in addition to the 40% bird is exclusively speculation at this point.  On my campus inwards 2011 42% of students had Pell Grants in addition to over one-half of our students were initiatory of all generation. 

The Down Side of Being an FGSI

Being an HBCU has a high prestige value.  Being an HSI has a high prestige value.  Being a TCU has a high prestige value.  Being an HBCU, an HSI, or a TCU brings the chance to garner resources dedicated to the populations beingness served.  Being an FGSI has a depression prestige value in addition to brings no opportunities for resources.  First generation students are to a greater extent than probable to travel minority students, to a greater extent than probable than other students to receive got depression standardized essay scores, to a greater extent than probable than other students to receive got academic deficits, in addition to hence on.  Typically initiatory of all generation students receive got gone to poorer character elementary, middle, in addition to high schools than instant generation students, in addition to the results of wretched academic training play out equally an academic challenge for both the campus in addition to for the pupil (U.S. Department of Education, 1998).

Graduation rates for initiatory of all generation students are lower than for instant generation students hence the FGSIs volition receive got a lower graduation charge per unit of measurement than a Second Generation Serving Institutions (SGSIs).  Federal, State, in addition to accrediting torso emphasis on college graduation rates punishes FGSIs because of this emphasis on retentiveness in addition to graduation rates.  It may travel the illustration that an establishment classifies equally both an HBCU, or an HSI, or a TCU in addition to a FGSI.  I volition acquire out the implications of this to the reader.

Institutional prestige, in addition to the consequent reflected prestige, is of import to students, faculty members, in addition to administrators.  Even though educating all students has a high value inwards the US educational organisation beingness an FGSI is non high prestige.  Consequently, I would await some resistance from administrators inwards identifying their campus equally an FGSI, lest that classification diminish the perceived prestige of a campus inwards the eyes of people to a greater extent than concerned alongside prestige than alongside the hope of didactics in addition to pupil learning.  Identifying equally an FGSI may deter second-generation students from enrolling, only that is a affair for enquiry in addition to non for speculation.  Similarly identifying equally a SGSI may deter first-generation students from enrolling, in addition to the enquiry indicates that this is the illustration given the depression percent of Pell Grant students at highly selective colleges (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2012).

The Up Side of Being an FGSI

Access, opportunity, in addition to ethnic in addition to social grade multifariousness are the characteristics of the FGSI.  The hope of a higher paying job, of a labor alongside benefits, of meliorate working conditions, of access to graduate in addition to professional person didactics are some of the promises of college.  By serving first-generation students FGSI campuses are filling the US world didactics promise. 

Recognizing this novel category of establishment tin assistance movement the conversation about post-secondary education forward.  Should additional resources travel dedicated to FGSIs? What are the implications of designating campuses equally FGSIs or SGSIs?

References

U.S. Census Bureau (2010). Educational Attainment inwards the United States: 2010 - Detailed Tables. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/education/data/cps/2010/tables.html

U. S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics, (2012). CollegeNavigator. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics. (1998). First-generation students: Undergraduates whose parents never enrolled inwards post-secondary education. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/98082.pdf

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics (2010). Web tables: Profile of undergraduate Students 2007-2008. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2010/2010205.pdf  (Table 3.11)

Comments:  Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Google search for the phrase “first generation serving institution” revealed no pages on Oct 20, 2012.  Nowhere on the Internet indexed past times Google did that specific phrase occur.  Other search engines produced the same result.  Without the quotation marks the Google search returned over 23,300,000 pages.  

I am proud to instruct at an FGSI in addition to my pride is business office of why I developed the stance of First Generation Serving Institution.  Even though I exclusively instruct graduate students, the composition of our undergraduate pupil torso creates a mix of students in addition to a multifariousness that makes our campus interesting in addition to makes it an fantabulous seat to instruct in addition to acquire higher didactics leadership. 

My colleague doc Catherine Tucker suggested the elevate Title I College, which has merit in addition to implies that this classification is or should travel associated alongside resources.