First-Generation Student Celebration

The First-Generation Student Program is grounded in a history of student activism. First-Generation College Students @U-M, a student organization, was founded in 2007 with the mission to increase accessibility to resources for first-generation students and to build community among the population. The students advocated for greater campus support for themselves and other peer first-generation students. In 2017, University of Michigan hired the inaugural first First-Generation Program Manager, established the First-Generation Gateway Office, and launched multiple initiatives to increase first-generation student success. As a result, student engagement has increased significantly since 2017 and University of Michigan’s first-generation efforts have received national recognition.