News

PSU students increased retention and earned higher grades

A Portland State University mentoring program targeting students who are among the first in their families to go to college, is helping freshmen earn higher grades, complete more credits per year and most importantly, increase year-to-year retention rates of PSU freshmen.

During the 2005–06 pilot year, 71 new-to-the-university transfer students participated in the Students First Mentoring Program (SFMP). Students First freshmen earned higher grades (2.88 on a 4-point scale) compared to other first-generation students (2.45), as well as to all PSU freshmen (2.71). Students in the program also successfully completed more credits (36.57) for the year than freshmen who were not in the program (33.83). The difference of 2.74 credits per year is particularly significant when projected over a five-year undergraduate career. At this rate students would be able to complete their bachelor’s degrees in one less term.

One of the largest benefits of the program was that the SFMP freshmen retention rate was 91 percent, more than 35 percent higher than the retention rate for all PSU freshmen. Results of the program are particularly substantial in light of declining retention rates nationwide.

“There is a significant part of being successful at college that has nothing to do with mastering course content: we call it ‘navigating the university,’” said Pete Collier, Portland State associate professor of Sociology and director of the program. “This includes knowing how to talk to professors, read a syllabus, identify relevant campus resources and use them appropriately, and this is where family background really makes a difference. Traditional students learn many of these skills from their family members who already have experience with higher education – they have a better idea of how the system works. However first-generation students do not normally have anyone to share this information with them. Many times, they do not even know that these issues will be important in determining whether or not they succeed at college. This is where Students First can help.”

The goal of the SFMP is to help students make an easier transition to the University by providing a range of mentoring services, including regular contact and encouragement, help locating important campus services, student-tested strategies for college success, an online discussion forum for getting questions answered and connections to the campus community. Once new first-generation students realize how important these skills are to college success, and that Students First can help them learn how to successfully navigate the university, their response to the program is overwhelmingly positive, says Collier.

“Working with the mentor has been a tremendous help, not just academically but emotionally as well,” said a student in the 2005-06 program. “I don't think I would have done nearly as well in my first term here if I didn't have my mentor behind me reminding me that I'm capable of getting it done.”

Now, in year two of the project, 120 students are participating. In addition, the 2006-07 year of the program has been expanded to emphasize greater service for first-generation, community college students who have recently transferred to Portland State. SFMP is continuing to recruit new students for this year’s program, with a target goal of 200 participants. The long-term goal of SFMP is to provide a structured support network for students to use during their first year until they are proficient enough to develop their own personal set of strategies for navigating their roles as students within the University.

“The first generation students in our program are more than smart enough to succeed at the University,” says Collin Fellows, SFMP program manager, who is himself a first-generation student, and is currently a graduate student at PSU. “They just need someone to share with them the best strategies for staying in school and to help them turn what they already know into success in the university.”

Media wishing to talk with either Peter Collier or Collin Fellows can contact Collier at 503-725-3961 or cfpc@pdx.edu. Fellows can be reached at 503-725-5307 or collinfellows@comcast.net. To learn more about the program, please visit www.studentsfirst.pdx.edu.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (#06-140)

Source: Peter Collier (503-725-3961)
Director, Students First Mentoring Program