Less than 25 percent of America’s adult population possesses a college degree despite advancing technology and stiff competition for jobs. DePaul University is a leader in addressing this problem by reaching out to first-generation students with effective programs. The plan is working; 41 percent of this year’s freshman class comes from families in which neither parent possesses a college degree.

That puts DePaul well ahead of many other private universities, few of which track their first-generation enrollment statistics. The peer institutions that do record them report an average of 30 percent first-generation students.

“While we haven’t always referred to them as ‘first generation’ or started tracking them until a few years ago, students have historically come to DePaul from a wide range of backgrounds because we are an urban institution,” explained Brian Spittle, DePaul’s assistant vice president for Enrollment Management. “This is so important to us that now DePaul has a place on its admission application for parent education level.”

Young people who earn college degree can expect to earn about $2.1 million over a lifetime, about twice what workers with only a high school education are projected to make, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Minorities constitute about half of first-generation students at DePaul, and most are Illinois residents.

Three such students are Alejandro Maya from Chicago’s North Side, Leah Neubauer from Troy Grove, Ill., and Tori Harris from Chicago’s South Side. Although they arrived at DePaul from different backgrounds, they will share the honor of becoming the first in their families to earn a college degree.

Maya is a junior double-majoring in Latin American studies and Spanish literature. He works two campus jobs and boasts a 3.8 grade point average. His Mexican immigrant parents dropped out of school to help support their families when they were growing up. They raised three sons, but only Alejandro, their youngest, finished high school. A freshman in the College of Commerce, Harris always wanted to attend college, even though she is the first in her family to blaze that trail. “My stepfather, who helped raise me, didn’t even finish high school,” she said. “Both my parents supported this dream of mine.”

Neubauer grew up in the tiny farming community of Troy Grove, located about 100 miles southwest of Chicago, with a single mother who supported her four daughters by working as a bookkeeper in an insurance agency.

Making high-quality higher education accessible to a diverse pool of students has long been a hallmark mission of DePaul, which considers ethnicity, income, geography and family educational history as important diversity traits. And the numbers of first-generation students are expected to increase since demographic projections indicate that they will continue to be a significant part of the college-bound population in Illinois for the foreseeable future. Not only are first-generation students identified on their arrival; they also are tracked throughout their education at DePaul. While some first-generation students are among the top of their class, as a whole, their grade point average is a fraction lower than non-first-generation students, often due to the demands of jobs they take on to support themselves.

For the same reason, first-generation students tend to take a little longer to finish. But they do graduate, Spittle noted, and this is important because national research indicates that first-generation graduates enter similar occupations with similar salaries as their counterparts.

Neubauer, 21, is one senior looking toward graduation with hope. She makes excellent grades while also balancing a full slate of classes and at least one job.

Recruited by the College of Commerce, she later transferred into DePaul’s Communications Department. Now, the young woman, who has team-taught a freshman class with a DePaul professor and spearheaded DePaul’s participation in the Chicago AIDS Walk, is planning to pursue graduate school and a career as a health teacher. Using grants from the U.S. Department of Education, DePaul’s Enrollment Management Division coordinates two programs that are pivotal in attracting and retaining first-generation students: Student Support Services and the McNair Scholars Program.

Student Support Services offers advising, tutoring and workshops. Its staff monitors academic progress and helps students secure financial aid and campus jobs, said Anita Rosso, director of the program that has helped 370 students since its inception in 1997. “Usually the students are concerned about paying tuition,” Rosso said. “For those students who lack the proper academic preparation, we help upgrade reading and critical thinking skills.”

Harris, a marketing major who earned a B average her first quarter at DePaul, said she has plugged into resources for assistance by taking advantage of Student Support Services.

“If I have a question, anyone is willing to help me,” said Harris, who admits it’s difficult being away from home for the first time. “Even the R.A. [Resident Adviser] is willing to sit down and help with homework.”

Instituted at DePaul in 1999, the McNair Scholars Program, named for the late African-American astronaut Ronald McNair, provides research and faculty mentoring opportunities for first-generation and low-income undergraduates planning to pursue doctoral degrees. Maya is one of 20 current McNair scholars on the Ph.D. track. He recently garnered a research assistantship with a modern languages professor, whom he is helping with a book project on women and race in 19th century Peru.

He said this is a perfect complement to his studies as he plans to pursue doctoral work in 19th century Latin-American literature. For students such as Maya, attending a school that openly welcomes first-generation students has made the pursuit of a bachelor’s degree that much easier.

“Coming to DePaul was one of the best decisions I ever made,” Maya said. “Building relationships with DePaul staff and faculty has made my academic experience easier. By working closely with my professors, I was able to decide on what career plans to pursue.”

For Neubauer, also a McNair Scholar, DePaul provides the big-city environment she was seeking while allowing her the opportunity to discover her niche – public health and teaching.

“I immediately felt at home here,” she said. “My DePaul experience has been rewarding and enriching.”