New grant assists FGSSP program

Campus Times
September 24, 1999

by Leah C. Sahagun
Staff Writer

With the end of the James Irvine Foundation grant, Derek Vergara, First Generation Student Success Program director, is in search of other foundations to provide grants for the University of La Verne program.

The First Generation Student Success Program (FGSSP) began four years ago with a generous $500,000 grant from the James Irvine Foundation.

"The program has received great regional and national recognition," Vergara said.

This unique program is only here at the University where a great percentage of the enrolling students are the first in their families to attend college.

The grant was provided to assist students with scholarships and a better understanding of the skills needed to graduate from college.

In conjunction with student benefits, it also helps with research to assist administrators in understanding the diversity among ULV's students.

The Foundation provided ULV with the grant to better understand diversity by starting programs and research. But with the end of the James Irvine grant, Vergara's search for other grants led him to the Packard Foundation, which provided a small grant.

"For the time being, ULV has shown commitment to the FGSSP by assisting in funding students looking for scholarship money," said Vergara.

Vergara and Christina Ayala-Alcantar, assistant professor of psychology, are in the process of making a proposal for asking for another grant from the James Irvine Foundation.

At ULV, 150 students and families have benefitted from FGSSP through programs and scholarship money. Currently 16 students are in the program.

FGSSP has been infused with the new student orientation, and program officials are working on mainstreaming at ULV.

"If you don't institutionalize it gets stuck in the corner, it needs to be mainstream," said Vergara. "We have learned a lot through the first generation students, the next step is to continue to understand diversity as a whole."