Partners

First generation college students lean on the partnerships of family, friends, and other organizations to help them transition to college. Key partnerships within the Nashville community will sustain the program and allow for growth each year.

Who are our Friends?

Stakeholders by priority:

1. Students and Families
2. Lipscomb Community: faculty, staff, advisors, decision-makers
3. Nashville partners: businesses, high schools, funders, recent graduates from program

The immediate stakeholders for the first generation college student program are the first generation college students and their families. This group was identified as the most important stakeholder because it is important to understand what students need in order to be successful to change their family dynamics. The voice of this group is most important because they will be directly impacted by the outcomes of this program.

Another key group of stakeholders include faculty, staff, and administration of the university that will support this program and will help advocate for these students and their families. Support from the university on all levels, not only from faculty/staff, but also through funding and resources is critical in order for the program to be effective.

A final group of stakeholders includes the Nashville high schools, businesses, organizations, and program graduates, who also work with this group of students. Including these important stakeholders into the conversation allows for more effective collaboration and communication to first generation college students and their families. Knowing how to reach high school students that are first generation students and inviting them to be a part of the Lipscomb community, will increase the growth of the program from year to year.

Who should we collaborate with? 

Partners like Admissions, YMCA Latino Achievers, Oasis College Connection, Metro Nashville Public Schools, and the Martha O’Bryan Center have all been supporters of Lipscomb University for a long time. These offices and organizations help prepare high school students for college and inviting these partners to help promote this new program for first generation college students is ideal. These partners can help share resources like offering their expertise to facilitate different workshops at the Academic Success Center from time to time. These partners may even offer Lipscomb first generation college students exclusive internships at their organizations because of their commitment to the work of this program and the other first generation college students it serves. 

And what challenges do we face???

The challenge will be bringing all stakeholders together and creating something that meets the need of everyone. Threats also include competing interests from other programs, Lipscomb’s other financial campaigns, and meeting the interest of students.