Corey A. King, Chancellor | University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Corey A. King, Chancellor | University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Nicholas Neyfeldt, a finance major from Cary, Illinois, is one of more than 4,300 first-generation college students attending the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Whitewater and Rock County campuses. First-generation students—those who are the first in their families to attend college—make up over one-third of UW-Whitewater’s undergraduate population. On the Rock County campus, 58 percent of students are first-generation.
UW-Whitewater participates in the annual First-Generation College Celebration, a national event led by First-Gen Forward. The celebration takes place on November 8 and aims to recognize the contributions of first-generation students and connect them with resources for success.
The university will hold a kickoff event at noon on Monday, November 3, at the University Center on the Whitewater campus. Roberta's Art Gallery is currently displaying a pop-up exhibit featuring photo portraits of first-generation Warhawk students, faculty, and staff. Students at both campuses can also participate in free giveaways throughout the week.
Chancellor Corey A. King is among several UW-Whitewater faculty and staff members who were also first-generation college graduates. He was featured in last year’s exhibit and was recently named a top executive in southern Wisconsin by the Milwaukee Business Journal.
"College just opened the world for me," King said in a video recording last fall. "From meeting people from various journeys and backgrounds and beliefs and ideas, gaining friends it just really developed me personally, both inside and outside of the classroom."
UW-Whitewater has taken steps to support first-generation student success by opening One Stop last fall—a space dedicated to providing one-on-one assistance for students seeking help with financial aid, scholarships, advising, course registration, and student life.
More information about UW-Whitewater’s support for first-generation students can be found at uww.edu/students/first-generation.
Information from this story was sourced from MeritPages.com
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