Furman earns champion status for first-gen student commitment

First-generation college students have a home at Furman University, where support for them earned the university the title of Network Champion of FirstGen Forward.

The FirstGen Forward Network promotes evidence-based approaches to advancing the success of those students. Furman was accepted to the FirstGen Forward Network in 2019, after about a year of improving programs and services for first-generation students, said Michelle Horhota, associate dean for mentoring and advising.

“It was an opportunity for us to say we want to do more for first gens,” she said. “We were joining a community of people wanting to learn best practices.”
If neither of a student’s parents nor guardians complete a four-year college degree, they’re a first-generation college student, Horhota said. More than 12% of Furman’s Class of 2028 have this designation, she explained, and according to FirstGen Forward, 54% of current undergraduate students nationally are considered first-gen.

First Generation Student Alliance President Grace Prince addresses a crowd Aug. 23 at a first-gen welcome lunch in Hartness Pavilion. Photo by Owen Withycombe, Furman University.

Without a family history of college experiences, students can sometimes need extra support or guidance, as Horhota learned firsthand. She was a first-gen student at the University of Toronto and said the many opportunities college provides can be difficult to navigate without help.

Students without a family history of going to college shouldn’t have to rely on luck to find their path, she said, when the university can actively promote these opportunities.

In 2018, Furman built awareness and education with a first-gen t-shirt campaign. Soon after, the university started its First Generation Student Alliance, a group dedicated to helping those students find community, mentorship and learning opportunities.

Each year the university holds a first-gen student luncheon, which current FGSA President Grace Prince ‘25 said inspired her to work with the university to improve first-gen experiences.

“I remember that luncheon made me feel so comfortable, so seen and so proud,” Prince said. “It’s really easy to see being a first-gen student as a setback if you don’t have the right mindset.”

First-generation students mingle at a welcome lunch at Hartness Pavilion on Aug. 23.

Furman works hard to show that being a first-gen student is worth celebrating, Prince said. Networking with other first-gen students helped her feel like she wasn’t alone.

Horhota said the university created a fund to raise money to directly support first-gen students in need, helping purchase textbooks and offset other costs. Through the FirstGen Forward Network, Furman can share its efforts to improve student experiences with more than 400 other higher education institutions. Furman’s new designation as a Network Champion means staff will be working more with other colleges and universities to improve how they support their first-gen students.