New Program Champions First-generation Students

The University of Scranton launched a new program to celebrate and support students who are the first generation from their families to attend a four-year college.

The THR1VE program, launched this summer at Scranton, was developed from need assessment surveys and other input from first-generation students attending the University.

According to Robert McGowan, coordinator of the THR1VE program, many first-generation students expressed similar concerns about their college experience, namely: “what am I studying; what am I going to do with it after I graduate; and how am I going to pay for it.”

Based on this information, the THR1VE program will focus on three primary areas of support: financial wellness, academic planning and career development. Sessions planned for the fall include financial workshops on budgeting and financial planning, student loans and consumer debt, and savings and investment, as well as programming focusing on developing study skills. In addition to the special programming, THR1VE will assist first-generation students in navigating the vast array resources available to them at the University.

The program also seeks to build awareness of and celebrate first-generation students. At Scranton, 23 percent of its undergraduate population identifies as first-generation students, as does 30.6 percent of its incoming class of 2023. A luncheon was held for first-generation members of the class of 2023 during Fall Welcome.

The THR1VE program, housed in the University’s Center for Student Engagement, is supported by a Strategic Initiatives Fund grant awarded through the Provost’s Office.

For more information about the THR1VE program, email thr1ve@scranton.edu or call 570-941-6233.