Academic Affairs News

Dear WKU Faculty and Staff,  

Did you know that 31% of all undergraduates on the Western Kentucky University (WKU) campus are first generation college students?  In addition, these students have lower retention and graduation success rates.  To help close the success gaps, the Provosts’ Office, and the colleges, following feedback we received at the Deans, Directors, Department Heads Meeting in August, have teamed up to create a First-Generation Faculty and Staff Initiative.  The goals of the initiative are 1) to identify first generation faculty and staff, and first-generation student supporters on WKU’s campus, and 2) to build a faculty and staff support-network that will act as mentors and/or sounding boards for the needs of first-generation college students.  

This initiative offers faculty and staff who are first generation college graduates or are supporters of first-generation college students the opportunity to participate in a series of experiences to help create a vibrant 1st generation community on WKU’s campus.  Some of the program opportunities you can be a part of are: 1) having your name added to a directory of first generation faculty and staff on WKU’s campus, 2) place an identifying sticker on your office/space and a logo on your email indicating that you are a first generation faculty and staff member or supporter who is an champion of first generation students on campus, 3) create a video that can be posted about your experience as a first generation student, and 4) attend events geared at supporting the first generation community.   

By creating this initiative, we hope to show students that faculty and staff are approachable, are here to help and can understand and relate to the experiences they are going through on campus.  At this time, I would like to invite you to consider becoming a part of the First-Generation Faculty and Staff initiative.  We do not see this as a large time commitment but hope that this initiative will act as a means for providing students awareness and accessibility.   

For questions about this initiative, please email provost@wku.edu.  To register to be a part of the First-Generation Faculty and Staff Initiative please follow the link below:  

https://www.wku.edu/academicaffairs/first_gen/first-gen-initiative-form.php. 

Thank you,