Conference Concurrent Sessions
Monday - 11:30 A.M. | Monday - 2:00 P.M. | Monday - Igniter Talks, 3:30 P.M. | Tuesday - 10:00 A.M. | Tuesday - 11:30 A.M.
Concurrent session four
TUESDAY | 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Tues, Nov 15
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
McKenna Hall
Room 204
Conference Track(s):
Collaboration
Coalition
The Power of the Middle: Leveraging the vision and impact of mid-level campus administrators to implement policy and procedure changes that support FGLI student success
Many seemingly neutral administrative processes have a disproportionate impact on FGLI students. In this session, the presenters will review key factors to implementing policy and procedure changes that are managed by mid-level campus administrators across the University that support FGLI student success. The presenters will discuss key principles, explain how the principles were applied within their campus community, and engage in an activity with attendees to discuss opportunities on their home campuses.
Constance Wright | Northwestern University
Assistant Dean of Academic Standing for Weinberg College
Constance is the Assistant Dean of Academic Standing for Weinberg College at Northwestern University. She is responsible for managing the College’s undergraduate standing and enrollment exception processes. Constance also develops student success initiatives designed to create equitable opportunities and outcomes for underrepresented undergraduate student populations. Constance has lecturer appointments at Loyola University School of Law and UIC School of Law. Most notably, she has worked with Minority Legal Education Resources, Inc since 2007 developing educational programming to help underrepresented students excel in law school and pass bar examinations in Illinois and California.
Nicole Eggleston-Watkins | Northwestern University
Associate Dean and Director of Student Assistance and Support Services (SASS)
Nicole Eggleston-Watkins is the Associate Dean and Director of Student Assistance and Support Services (SASS) at Northwestern University. She has over 20 years of experience in higher education. Nicole currently leads SASS, a unit that works with students in need of need assistance and support when experiencing mental, physical, academic and/or social challenges during their academic careers. Her passion is deeply rooted in a commitment to support, motivate, and help students optimize their resilience and thrive in life. Nicole is originally from the southside of Chicago. She takes pride in her African American heritage and appreciates connecting with BIPOC students and colleagues.
Jaci Casazza | Northwestern University
Assistant Provost and University Registrar
Jaci Casazza is the Assistant Provost and University Registrar at Northwestern University. Jaci has worked in higher education for twenty years and under her leadership the registrars’ offices have become trusted campus partners, developing the deep institutional collaborations necessary to solve student problems and facilitate change. As a first-generation, lower-income college student herself, Jaci is passionate about college affordability, access, and inclusion beyond the point of admission. She and her team strive to identify and remove institutional barriers that impede the success of all students and particularly those for whom university life is new or otherwise unwelcoming.
Tues, Nov 15
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
McKenna Hall
Room 206
Conference Track(s):
Community
Coalition
Collaboration
Building a First-gen Campus-wide Network of Support: Engaging Your Faculty and Staff
Faculty and staff are critical in the success of first-generation students on any college campus. So, how do we get them on board? This presenter will share how the Newbury Center at Boston University (BU) has engaged faculty and staff in their efforts, which in turn, has built a greater sense of belonging and community for first-generation students. The Newbury Center was established in January 2021 and is a centralized, university-wide center that fosters the holistic development and success of first-generation undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Through the Terrier F1RSTS Advocates Training program for faculty and staff, the Tri-Alpha National Honor Society for first-generation college students, the Professional Clothing Closet in partnership with the Center for Career Development, and mentoring through Elevate (the Newbury Center's magazine) and the Terrier F1RSTS Library Connects program, BU faculty and staff have come out in full-force to support first-generation students. The presenter will share best practices and provide an in-depth overview of how these various programs and initiatives were developed and implemented, and how they can be replicated at other institutions. Attendees will also have the opportunity to share their best practices on engaging faculty and staff on their campuses.
Maria Erb | Boston University
Director, The Newbury Center
Maria Dykema Erb, M.Ed. is a higher education professional with 30 years of extensive experience in diversity, equity, and inclusion work; student recruitment, admissions, enrollment management, academic advising, retention, and outreach; academic dean’s office and graduate/professional school program administration; and student affairs/student life. As a proud first-generation college graduate, Maria holds degrees from the University of New Hampshire and The University of Vermont. Currently, Maria is the inaugural Director of the Newbury Center at Boston University (BU), a university-wide center for first-generation students at the undergraduate, graduate, and professional education level.
Tues, Nov 15
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
McKenna Hall
Room 207
Conference Track(s):
Community
Collaboration
From Access to Success: The importance of developing meaningful partnerships with college access and community-based organizations
Questbridge, Posse, Jack Kent Cooke, oh my! With so many community based organizations (CBOs) supporting FGLI students, where might colleges and universities begin the process of establishing partnerships with these important organizations? And, how do these access organizations best connect with FGLI student support office that are often decentralized and difficult to identify? Both facilitators of this session were inaugural directors of FGLI offices at Northwestern University and University of Chicago, and have recently transitioned into the college access world. Hear their insights and perspective from the other side and help brainstorm recommendations and challenges in establishing meaningful partnerships between CBOs and FGLI student support offices. Participants will also learn about the unique and specific supports that many access organizations and scholarship organizations might provide to students throughout their college experience. By the end of the session, the goal is to create a “best practices toolkit” that CBOs can utilize as they establish college partnerships, and for FGLI offices to leverage as they support FGLI students in college.
Kourtney Cockrell | JPMorgan Chase
Regional Director and Vice President, The Fellowship Initiative (Global Philanthropy)
Kourtney Cockrell (she/her) is a change leader, strategic advisor, and social justice educator with over two decades of cross-sector experience increasing access and opportunity for marginalized students and young professionals. Kourtney is a co-founder of the FGLI Consortium, and currently serves as Vice President in Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase & Co., leading the Chicago market for The Fellowship Initiative, a college access and leadership development program for young men of color. Most recently, Kourtney served as Founding Director of Student Enrichment Services at Northwestern University, where she led a cross-functional team working with students coming from first-generation, lower-income, and/or undocumented backgrounds. Kourtney earned her BA in African-American Studies at the University of Michigan and her MS in Learning and Organizational Change from the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University.
Devon Moore | Scholar Match
Senior Director of Programs and Compliance
(She/her/hers) Prior to joining the ScholarMatch team, Devon worked in higher education for fourteen years at various highly selective colleges, supporting students and creating more equitable spaces for first-generation and lower-income students. She was the founding director of the Center for College Student Success for first-generation, lower-income, and undocumented students at the University of Chicago and is also a co-founder of the FGLI Consortium. She is passionate about educational access and believes that students should have the opportunity to succeed and thrive through higher education. Devon received her bachelor’s degree in art history at Princeton and her master’s degree in higher education at Harvard. Outside of work, Devon enjoys reading, running, and spending time with her extended family.