The strategies used by the 20 institutions participating in CIC’s Wal-Mart College Success Awards program vary widely, with multi-faceted programs that focus on assisting first-generation students with the academic, social, and psychological challenges that they face in college. During a July 19–21 conference in Washington, DC, three-person teams from the 20 institutions shared their successes and challenges and learned from a small group of experts.

The Wal-Mart College Success Awards, made possible by a generous grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation, provided $100,000 grants each to 20 small and mid-sized independent colleges and universities that have records of deep commitment to the education of first-generation college students. The awards help the institutions build on demonstrated successes and develop further the enrollment, retention, and graduation rates of first-generation college students over a two-year period. The 20 recipients were selected from more than 200 institutions that applied.

In the opening session, Michelle Gilliard, senior director of workforce development and education at the Wal-Mart Foundation, immediately engaged the teams in a conversation about their assumptions regarding the first-generation students on their particular campuses. The dialogue among participants continued as institutions presented the results of their first year of work and discussed what had worked as well as what needed to be adjusted.

Other plenary speakers at the conference included Patrick Terenzini, Distinguished Professor of Education and senior scientist at the Center for the Study of Higher Education at Pennsylvania State University and Joshua Wyner, senior vice president of the National Consortium for College Completion.

Terenzini warned participants of the dangers of simply searching for best practices, explaining that this process “tends to narrow our vision” and may cause us to overlook some important strategies. He explained, “There is no one lever that will make the difference.” Instead, he encouraged institutions to “pull lots of little levers.”

In his closing remarks, Joshua Wyner emphasized the importance of innovation, expanded opportunities, and shared benchmarks among institutions. He also spoke of the power of working collectively and of demonstrating success to those outside the institution. “You’ve done the work,” Wyner said, “now show us that you’ve done it.”

More information about the Wal-Mart College Success Awards, including a short description of each institution’s program, is available on CIC’s website at www.cic.edu/projects_services/walmart_college_success.asp.