Kessler collaborative breaks down silos to help first-generation students

What started as an innovative program to support limited-income and first-generation students at the University of Michigan in 2008 has since grown into a 16-institution collaborative program that has helped hundreds of first-generation students across the country find success in post-secondary education. The Kessler Scholars Program, known as the Kessler Scholars Collaborative since 2020, is a cohort-based program that supports first-generation students on their journeys towards their bachelor’s degrees, through direct interventions like academic, personal, and peer counseling, and outside classroom activities that seek to expand students’ leadership capabilities and sense of belonging.