First-generation college students, defined as students who had neither parent graduate from college, were more likely to come from low-income families (Lohfink & Paulsen, 2005), were more likely to drop out during their freshman year (Ishitani, 2003), and, ultimately, were less likely to earn a college degree (Chen, 2005). First-year first-generation students faced a 71% higher risk of attrition than their counterparts who had two parents that had attained college degrees (Ishitani, 2003), had significantly lower academic aspirations (McCarron & Inkelas, 2006), and of on-campus involvement attributed to their propensity to live and work off-campus (Billson & Terry, 1982). Taken together, the cumulative effects of these factors threatened first-generation students’ social integration and, subsequent, persistence to a four-year degree. Lohfink and Paulsen (2005) suggested that when faculty become engaged with and influential in the lives of first-generation students, they validated their sense of belonging and ability to excel in their academics. In turn, students showed an increase in academic integration and longterm…
