Creating a Culture of Support for First-Generation Students at Seton Hall  

In Fall 2021, Seton Hall launched the First-Generation Forward (Gen 1) Program to further support success for first-generation, Pell-eligible students through a comprehensive academic plan focused on tutoring, advising, mentoring, supplemental instruction, and financial aid. The project, funded by the State of New Jersey through the Opportunity Meets Innovation Grant, aligns with the University's Strategic Plan Goal 3 highlighting student success and advancing the college affordability agenda. The Gen 1 Program complements the University's existing, highly successful New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) in addition to established programming delivered through Upward Bound and Resilience, Integrity, Scholarship, and Excellence (RISE) program.

Seton Hall University is also nationally recognized by the Center for First-generation Student Success as First-Gen Forward Program. The Center is an initiative of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and The Suder Foundation.

Dr. Nicole Battaglia serves as the Director of the Gen 1 Program and has held similar roles in the Center for Academic Success for the past seven years. Dr. Battaglia earned her B.A. in Psychology and M.A.E in College Student Personnel Administration from Seton Hall University. Most recently, Dr. Battaglia defended her Ph.D. dissertation entitled, "Understanding Which College Academic and Social Integration Factors Are Important in Predicting First-Generation College Students' Retention in the First Year." As a proud first-generation graduate, Nicole is dedicated to guiding fellow first-generation students throughout their collegiate journey and is committed to creating a culture of support and pride around being first-generation. She explains, "What we think is most important in addition to support programs is creating a first-gen culture on campus. This will allow students to know who to ask for help, that they should be proud of being first-generation, and are never alone on their journey."

Dr. Battaglia was selected to write a blog post about the new Gen 1 Program on NASPA's Center for First-Generation Success Blog. Click here to read the blog post.

For more information about the Gen 1 Program, contact Dr. Nicole Battaglia at [email protected].

Categories: Campus Life, Education