{"id":26541,"date":"2018-11-09T05:00:16","date_gmt":"2018-11-09T11:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/?p=26541"},"modified":"2018-11-09T01:39:19","modified_gmt":"2018-11-09T07:39:19","slug":"austin-peay-state-university-coal-costem-to-host-first-generation-college-celebration-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/2018\/11\/09\/austin-peay-state-university-coal-costem-to-host-first-generation-college-celebration-events\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin Peay State University CoAL, CoSTEM to host First-Generation College Celebration events"},"content":{"rendered":"

Austin Peay State University (APSU)<\/h2>\n

\"AustinClarksville, TN<\/strong> – When Austin Peay State University (APSU) biology assistant professor Dr. Jason Malaney reflects on his undergraduate years at Eastern New Mexico University, he realizes the impact being a first-generation college student had. He didn\u2019t see the hurdles then. He sees them now. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn hindsight I had no idea, no concept of what financial aid was, it wasn\u2019t even part of my lexicon, how to get scholarships even,\u201d the Austin Peay State University assistant biology professor, said. \u201cHow that works wasn\u2019t even a piece of information for me. The pathway didn\u2019t exist. I had to figure it all out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Austin<\/a>

Austin Peay State University biology assistant professor Dr. Jason Malaney was a first-generation college student.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Obviously, Malaney figured it out. He earned his bachelor\u2019s in 2000, his master\u2019s in 2003 \u2013 both at Eastern New Mexico \u2013 and his Ph.D. in 2013 at the University of New Mexico.<\/p>\n

But many first-generation students don\u2019t succeed. According to the Higher Education Research Institute, 73 percent don\u2019t complete a bachelor\u2019s degree in four years. And U.S. Department of Education statistics show students with college-educated parents earn degrees more quickly.<\/p>\n

First-generation students are the focus today at colleges across the nation during a First-Generation College Celebration day.<\/p>\n

At Austin Peay State University, the College of Arts and Letters and the College of STEM will participate by handing out \u201cI am a first-generation college student\u201d pins and resource materials from 8:00am-10:00am in the Mabel Larson Collaborative Learning Space in Harned Hall and 1:00pm-3:00pm in the Sundquist Science Complex lobby. <\/p>\n

‘We’re Changing Families’ Lives’<\/h3>\n
\"The<\/a>

The APSU colleges of Arts and Letters and STEM will handing out these buttons.<\/p><\/div>\n

About 36 percent of the freshmen who entered APSU in the fall of 2017 \u2013 639 of 1,755 enrollees \u2013 were first-generation college students.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of students who are first generation, what a thing to be proud of,\u201d Arts and Letters Interim Dean Barry Jones said. \u201cWe\u2019re changing families\u2019 lives. It\u2019s going to drastically change everybody in their family, the expectations for future generations.\u201d <\/p>\n

[320left]Of the more than 1,200 students in the College of Arts and Letters, 396 are first-generation college students, he said. Jones also was a first-generation college student.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something really unique about being a first-generation college student,\u201d Jones said. \u201cIf your parents have gone to college, they know about it, you can get their advice. First-generation college students, just navigating financial aid, the bursar\u2019s office, academic support, all of these things, it\u2019s not intuitive. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd just the first year, it\u2019s so different from high school,\u201d Jones said. \u201cThat first year, it\u2019s tough.\u201d<\/p>\n

First-Generation Student To PH.D.<\/h3>\n

Malaney remembers his first year: \u201cIt was definitely difficult that first year. I didn\u2019t really know what to expect.<\/p>\n

\u201cI realized I didn\u2019t understand all the pieces of college, but I didn\u2019t realize it was because of my lack of knowledge about what the expectations were,\u201d he said. \u201cFortunately, I was in an environment where I could ask folks, and they certainly were helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Malaney was a good student in high school, and his parents expected him to go to college. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents definitely pushed hard,\u201d he said. \u201cI grew up in a small community of 600 or 700 people, and that definitely wasn\u2019t the expectation for a lot of people. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad went to Vietnam, and my mom jumped straight into the workforce,\u201d he added, both typical paths for people from his town. <\/p>\n

First-Generation Student To College Dean<\/h3>\n
\"Barry<\/a>

Barry Jones, the interim dean of the APSU College of Arts and Letters was a first-generation college<\/p><\/div>\n

Jones said he had an advantage over typical first-generation students: He attended Austin Peay State University at the same time as his mom, Diane Haynes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat helped me because she was working her way through too,\u201d he said. \u201cShe was able to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

They both graduated in May 1995. He walked across the stage first. His father, Randy, earned bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees after retiring from the military.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents both came from rural farmer families in Alabama,\u201d Jones said. \u201cCollege wasn\u2019t really thought of as an option, and my dad was drafted into the military during Vietnam. He ended up making a career out of the military.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe lived all over the world, to them it was expected that I was going to college,\u201d he continued. \u201cAs they saw how the world worked, it never really was a question of whether or not I was going to college.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharing The First-Generation Experience<\/h3>\n

STEM Interim Dean Dr. Karen Meisch and Jones have been reaching out to faculty who were first-generation college students, asking them to share their experiences. And Jones is creating a door sign for faculty to signify \u201cI was a first-generation student, and I\u2019m happy to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

[320right]Malaney sees the value in faculty helping out year-round and at events such as those today.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think students sometimes feel isolated, thinking they are the only ones who are first-generation students, or they are the only ones who didn\u2019t come from a background where their folks had been to college,\u201d he said. \u201cI think (events such as the First-Generation College Celebration) are a great way to build a community so folks can discuss the challenges they\u2019ve had.\u201d <\/p>\n

Trio Program Helps First-Generation Students<\/h3>\n

Austin Peay\u2019s TRIO program provides academic services and support to low-income, under-represented and first-generation college students. Services include peer tutoring, academic counseling, grant aid, writing and research assistance, graduate school assistance and job search support.<\/p>\n

Students, staff and faculty are welcome to visit the TRIO Student Support Services, the Educational Opportunity Center and Veterans Upward Bound in rooms 337, 333 and 325, respectively, of the Ellington Building.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would be more than happy to answer any questions about our program, guidelines and services TRIO programs offers,\u201d Jennifer Placke, assistant director of TRIO Student Support Services, said.<\/p>\n