Central Michigan University Libraries celebrates First-Generation College Celebration Day
Established as an official holiday in 2017 by the Council for Opportunity in Education and the Center for First-Generation Student Success, First-Generation College Celebration Day celebrates the signing of the 1965 Higher Education Act on November 8. This act provided “... financial assistance to college students, including subsidized grants and loans to qualified post-secondary school students” (Higher Education Act of 1965). Each year, the Council for Opportunity in Education asks colleges and universities to use Nov. 8 to celebrate the achievements of first-generation college students, faculty, staff and alumni. The Council also encourages communities to learn more about the challenges these students face in college and how we can support their success.
The CMU Libraries provides an extensive collection of print and eBooks about the first-generation college student experience. The books provide readers with an understanding of the barriers plaguing higher education and offer them ways to support the needs of these students. This collection consists of approximately 50 print and eBooks, all of which are available through a single collections link, First Generation Student Awareness Collection. In addition to offering faculty and staff insights into ways to help first-gen college students, students can read about the experiences of others like themselves. As stated by Instruction and Outreach Librarian Lee Parker, "This collection is important because it gives teachers the tools they need to help first-generation students succeed, while also letting these students read about the experiences of others like them and feel like they belong. Since about 20% of Central Michigan University's students are first-generation, the support of these students is something which must receive the utmost attention.”
To that end, Central Michigan University Libraries is committed to helping first-generation students succeed by providing materials which can be used by instructors to support them.