Kenneth Brown and colleagues contribute to national conversation on graduate student success

Elon faculty and staff members Kenneth Brown, Laké Laosebikan-Buggs, Amy Overman, Elana Gutmann, Darynha Gnep and Travella Free were co-presenters of a roundtable session on first-generation graduate students at the Gardner Institute’s inaugural conference focusing on graduate students that was recently highlighted in a Chronicle of Higher Education article.

The Graduate Student Experience: Redesigning Graduate School so Every Student can Flourish and Finish, was held March 25-27, in Asheville, North Carolina, and centered on the needs of graduate students under a threefold aim “to reduce graduate student withdrawals and separations, enhance student experience and wellbeing, and strengthen post-graduate outcomes.” Hundreds of attendees gathered for meaningful reflection, discussion and a call to action to improve higher education’s approach to graduate student education.

In the roundtable session, “Understanding the First-Generation Graduate School Experience,” the Elon team first shared data from a survey they conducted to gather graduate student perspectives on their academic experiences. Brown, assistant director of first-generation student support services, led a discussion with participants to identify crucial information needed from students and campus constituents to better provide comprehensive and holistic institutional support for first-generation graduate students. Participants discussed topics such as how academic programs and campus characteristics factor into fostering belonging among first-generation graduate students and how institutions can better facilitate the shift from undergraduate to graduate experiences for first-generation students.

The John N. Gardiner Institute is a nationally-recognized nonprofit organization that partners “with colleges, universities, philanthropic organizations, educators, and other entities to increase institutional responsibility for improving outcomes associated with teaching, learning, retention, and completion.”

Laosebikan-Buggs is the director of inclusive excellence for graduate and professional education, Overman is ssistant provost for scholarship and creative activity; Gutmann and Gnep are graduate apprentices and Master’s of Higher Education program students, and Free is executive director of the Center for Access and Success.