COVID-19 Critical Response
DISCUSSION SERIES
Watch a webcast recording where our experts connect with the broader higher education community to share ideas and ask questions amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Supporting first-generation students in this turbulent time is more challenging than ever before. There are no established best practices for addressing the diverse needs of first-generation students as institutions make decisions related to the pandemic. Understanding their unique needs and creating awareness of potential technology access gaps, among other issues, is crucial to maintaining equality for your student body.
Watch this webcast recording where we facilitate a conversation with La’Tonya Rease Miles, Director of the First Year Experience & Strategic Initiatives at UCLA and Cynthia Mosqueda, Faculty Coordinator of First Year Experience Programs at El Camino College. You’ll hear from our experts as well as your fellow attendees on questions such as:
- How do you rethink yield programs during the crisis to attract first-generation students?
- How do you accommodate non-traditional students who may be juggling duties like eldercare, childcare, work, and school?
- What considerations should be made for grading policies?
- What should be considered for K-12 bridge programs?
- How can you best support transfer students with communication between 2-year/4-year institutions?
Who Should Attend
If your work connects directly to student success and/or retention, particularly around first-generation students, this program is for you.
If you are looking for a space to gain ideas and best practices around the current coronavirus crisis, we encourage you to check out our other webcasts in our COVID-19 Critical Response Discussion Series.
A Discussion-Based Format
As COVID-19 continues to be an ever-evolving situation, we can’t provide you with hard-and-fast answers. But we can make space for open discussion and idea sharing based on both our speakers’ expertise and the experiences of the rest of the audience.
After watching this recorded webcast, you will have a clearer understanding of how other campuses are responding and ideas for how you might continue to make decisions and move the work forward.
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Instructors
Cynthia Mosqueda
Faculty Coordinator for the First Year Experience Program, El Camino College
El Camino College's FYE program has received accolades for exemplary program status through the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges and through the California Community College Chancellor’s Office for outstanding contributions toward student success, transfer, and retention. In 2012, Dr. Mosqueda received the First Year Advocate Award from the National Center for First Year Experience and Students in Transition from the University of South Carolina for her work in helping first-year students transition into college life. Read Cynthia's full bio here.
La’Tonya Rease Miles
Director, First Year Experience & Strategic Initiatives, UCLA
La'Tonya "LT" Rease Miles works collaboratively with Residential Life, Student Affairs departments more generally and academic departments campus-wide to develop initiatives and to increase awareness of the first-year experience on campus. Dr. Miles has established two successful programs for first-generation college students—one at UCLA and the other at Loyola Marymount University—both recognized for national Best Practices. She regularly consults with institutions nationally concerning first-gen students and also has advised local high schools (including Loyola High School and Verbum Dei High School) about developing programs on their campus. Finally, she established and manages a national Facebook group, "Empowering First Generation Students." Read La'Tonya's full bio here.