Alumna Dissertation Examines Success of First-Generation College Students from New Perspective

PhD in Leadership and Change alumna Dr. Ashley C. Gray Benson has published, An Exploration of Factors Influencing First-Generation College Students’ Ability to Graduate College: A Delphi Study. This dissertation serves as a counter-narrative to the standard deficiency model in published research that characterizes most first-generation college students as feeble and unequipped when it comes to thriving in, persisting in, and graduating from college. This is one of the few studies that examines the success of first-generation college students from the students’ perspective. Dr. Gray Benson is the Associate Dean of Students at The College of Wooster where she supports enrollment management, retention efforts, and crisis management.

Learn more about her work here!