Oakland University receives grant to provide support for first-generation students

Oakland University has received a grant from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential in the amount of $482,000. MiLEAP’s College Success Grant program was developed to assist in the success of students across the state in order to boost college completion rates. Oakland University will be using its grant funding to enhance the services it provides for first-generation college students in order to boost graduation rates and align with Michigan’s Sixty by 30 initiative.

According to an article on Oakland University’s website, Dawn Aubry, who serves as the university’s vice president of Enrollment Management, explained how the university is making strides in the initiative to increase college graduation rates. Aubry is quoted as saying, “As first-generation students now make up approximately 37% of Oakland University's incoming freshman class, closing the achievement gap for this group presents a significant opportunity to boost graduation rates while supporting many of our low-income and historically marginalized students. The State of Michigan is making a substantial investment in higher education, and Oakland University is committed to leveraging that funding to create meaningful change. We are eager to scale initiatives that equip our students with the tools they need for success, ensuring they can not only pursue their degrees but also achieve their academic and professional aspirations.”

Michigan’s Sixty by 30 initiative aims to have 60% of adults to have obtained a college degree or a skill certificate by the year 2030. Currently, Oakland University’s six-year first-generation student graduation rate is 47%, and in order to be in line with the Sixty by 30 initiative, it aims to boost that percentage to 65%.

Specifically, the grant funding from the state of Michigan will allow Oakland University to accomplish a number of things that will together boost student success rates. These initiatives include better training staff and faculty on the specific challenges that can be faced by first-generation students, creating an early alert system that will help notify staff and faculty when a student is struggling, and redesigning current student support systems by way of creating and hiring for a new position to handle the restructuring.

Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, M.D., the president of Oakland University, was quoted as saying of the grant and the benefits that will be seen from it, “This grant is a vital investment in the future of our students, particularly those who are the first in their families to pursue higher education. By enhancing our support systems and strengthening pathways for success, Oakland University is committed to ensuring that more first-generation students not only start but finish their academic journey with a degree. This funding will help students overcome barriers, thrive in their studies, and ultimately contribute to Michigan's economy.”

For more information about Oakland University, visit the school’s website.