Six universities in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education are launching a program to help first-generation and low-income students navigate the transition from their first year of college to their second. The initiative, Mastering Academic and Professional Systems (MAPS), will provide structured support to 72 students—12 at each participating university.
The yearlong program will include monthly cohort meetings, mentoring from faculty and staff, guidance with financial aid tasks such as renewing the FAFSA, and activities connecting students with campus resources. It will run at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, PennWest University, Slippery Rock University, Shippensburg University, Millersville University and East Stroudsburg University.
Kalani Palmer, a professor of professional studies in education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the program’s lead, said retention efforts often focus on the move from the first to the second semester, leaving the transition between the first and second years with less attention. MAPS is intended to reach students who may not already have strong connections to campus life and help them develop a sense of belonging and learn how to access university support.
The initiative grew out of a project Palmer was developing for the HERS Leadership Institute, initially focused on students at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After she sought funding from the Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh, the project expanded to six of the 14 universities in Pennsylvania’s public system. The foundation awarded a $250,000 grant over two years to the PASSHE Foundation, an independent philanthropic and strategic partner to the system.
System data show that 75.2 percent of first-time, full-time Pell Grant recipients who entered in fall 2024 returned for their second year, compared with 82.8 percent of students who did not receive Pell Grants. Overall, about 80 percent of PASSHE students return for a second year.
The grant will also fund a training course for faculty and staff on making higher education more transparent, equitable and accessible. Participants who complete the course will receive a certificate and digital badge. The training is intended to help employees explain the unwritten expectations of college and work across departments to connect students with useful information and resources.
Palmer said the program’s progress will be assessed through student persistence and retention, as well as participants’ sense of belonging, peer connections, campus involvement and understanding of university support systems. The initiative will also examine whether stronger collaboration among faculty and staff can help ensure students receive support consistently. Its organizers hope to identify approaches that can be incorporated into existing services and potentially extended across the state system.}
Sources: Inside Higher Ed.