Charting a new path

Helping firstgeneration students reach their academic and personal goals

Director of Student Transitions and Academic Readiness, Dr. Jodi Hicks, off ers advice to students on academic success. For Aniesha Loupe, choosing to attend college was intimidating. It took courage.

As a fi rst-generation student — a term for undergraduate students whose parents haven’t earned a bachelor’s degree — she didn’t have a lot of knowledge about what to expect from college.

“My biggest fear was how hard it would be to get acclimated to college life,” said Loupe, a senior from Lansing, Michigan, studying medical case management.

Throughout her time at Davenport, where she served as a pack leader for Panther Prowl and president of ASPIRE, a student organization for women of color, that initial feeling of intimidation has turned into one of fulfi llment, as she’s about to be the fi rst in her family to earn a college degree — an achievement that’s also made her parents extremely proud.

And as she plans to pursue a master’s degree in clinical mental health psychology before eventually opening her own private practice for therapy, it’s evident Loupe will only continue to fi nd success throughout her journey.

Giving fi rst-gen students the support they need

Student success is at the core of Davenport’s mission to prepare students to achieve the highest levels of academic performance so that they can go on to excel and advance in their chosen career.

One of the greatest opportunities Davenport has to impact student success is to provide fi rst-generation students, like Loupe, with tailored support and resources. Research shows more than half of fi rstgeneration students don’t graduate, in part because these individuals often face heightened barriers to academic success, including their background and socioeconomic status.

In 2018, the Davenport University Offi ce of Institutional Research fi elded a study that uncovered Davenport students were experiencing similar challenges. The research revealed fi rstgeneration students were consistently retaining (the return rate of a student from one year to another) at a lower rate than the overall student body — a statistic that’s especially concerning as Davenport’s fi rst-generation population makes up 37% of the total student body, which is higher than the national average of 33%.

As a result, a team of Davenport faculty and staff created an initiative to ensure fi rst-generation students have the resources and support they need to overcome the challenges specifi c to them, like lacking a sense of belonging and high levels of anxiety.

The team, which is led by the director of student transitions and academic readiness, Dr. Jodi Hicks, aims to help first-generation students graduate at the same rate as the rest of the student body. The university has set a goal to ensure at least 81% of its student population reaches graduation. The only way the university is going to see those high retention rates is if it can successfully support fi rstgeneration students.

To accomplish this goal, the team established several interventions, the fi rst of which, the First-Generation Peer Mentor Program, was piloted in late 2019. Through the program, each student is paired with a peer mentor to help navigate their education. They’re also provided with additional resources to address the fi nancial or emotional challenges unique to fi rst-generation students. This pilot was funded by the M.E. Davenport Legacy Fund at Davenport University. An intra-grant fund created by a gift from the M.E. Davenport Foundation to encourage and support the most innovative and anticipatory ideas in learning, leadership and achievement. Hicks launched the pilot program with 24 students, and the results were extremely promising: 91% of those 24 students returned the next academic year, compared to the 69% retention rate of fi rst-generation students who chose not to participate in the program.

“The blessed success of that initial peer mentoring program ultimately led to the birth of the First-Generation Student Success Initiative,” Hicks said.

Through the initiative, Davenport provides support services to fi rstgeneration students, off ers continuous training to staff and faculty so they understand and address students' unique needs, off ers additional scholarship support, and established a communication system for fi rstgeneration students and parents so that they understand the initiative’s services and opportunities.

In doing so, the First-Generation Student Success Initiative will help

My biggest fear was how hard it would be to get acclimated to college life.

— Aniesha Loupe, First-Generation Student

Davenport freshman, Kapelieli Moala, is a participant in the First-Generation Peer Mentor Program.

eliminate the equity gap that exists for fi rst-generation students.

“Davenport is uniquely gifted, with over 60% of our faculty and staff being fi rst-gen themselves, to help meet the vast needs of our fi rst-gen students,” Hicks said. “Ultimately, this initiative will help our fi rst-generation students retain and graduate at the same rate as our other students.”

The First-Generation Student Success Initiative’s current eff orts include growing the peer mentoring program, which has expanded to all campuses and currently involves more than 70 students.

One of those peer mentors is Loupe, who started mentoring in 2020.

“My favorite part is seeing them become less stressed out because they have extra support to gain university resources, as well as hearing about their growth as a student,” Loupe said. “I want fi rst-generation students to know that they can use all of the resources that are available to them, that they don’t have to go through college alone and that building a community will be one of the most important factors of their experience.”

Moving forward, Hicks said the initiative has a number of goals it hopes to achieve, such as designating First-Gen Champions in all academic departments, developing student workshops geared toward things like study skills and fi nancial aid, and recognizing fi rst-generation graduates.

As the initiative grows and fi rstgeneration students continue to see increased support, Davenport’s eff orts will have far-reaching eff ects.

“The beauty of this program is that we are not only supporting and celebrating fi rst-generation students currently enrolled with us, but we also recognize the life-changing impact their success may ultimately have on their family and friends,” Hicks said.

Meet Dr. Jodi Hicks

Dr. Jodi Hicks has served Davenport University in many capacities over the years, including as assistant director of academic services; director of fi rst-year experience; and, currently, director of student transitions and academic readiness. She also helps lead the university’s recently launched First-Generation Student Success Initiative. Hicks is chair of the athletic advisory board at Davenport and lead adviser for the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society.

As a faculty member, Hicks teaches achieving career and education success and sport psychology courses. She also leads a student success presentation at all new student orientations. She is passionate about encouraging and supporting students to reach their educational and personal goals.

Hicks holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Western Michigan University and a doctorate in human services/counseling studies from Capella University. Her doctoral research focused on mentoring college students.

The Davenport community would like to take this opportunity to thank the M.E. Davenport Foundation Board and the M.E. Davenport Legacy Fund Committee for encouraging and supporting faculty and staff in their innovative and inspiring ideas encompassing learning, leadership and achievement in higher education through the M.E. Davenport Foundation Innovation Endowed Fund.

Cheers to the following individuals for their continued support:

M.E. Davenport Foundation Board

Marcia Sneden, President Mary Sneden Sullivan, Secretary Caitlin Feeley, Trustee Robert Sullivan, Trustee William Sullivan, Trustee

M.E. Davenport Legacy Fund Committee

Dr. Jacqueline Taylor, Chair Dr. Barbara Mieras Margaret (Peggy) Moceri Mary Sneden Sullivan Steve Wessell, MBA ’21