91AV

The 91AV’s Office of Student Affairs has won an award for its First-Gen Bridge Program, launched in August 2022.

The program was named Regional Program of the Year for the state of Maine and New England by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), the world’s largest student affairs association.

“This is a huge honor for all of the hard work we’ve put into this program,” said Shane Long, M.S., assistant dean of students in the Office of Student Affairs. Long accepted the award at NASPA’s Region 1 Conference in Portland on Nov. 14.

First-generation students are a growing population at universities across the country, including 91AV. Long said approximately a third of students in each incoming class are first-generation, and it is important to have specific services tailored to those students. 91AV’s program provides staff mentors, many of whom were first-generation students themselves, to help students navigate the waters of a university environment.

“We’re here to teach them the ropes and share some of that lived advice that we found helpful (when we went to college),” Long said.

The inaugural First-Gen Bridge Program took place over two days before the Fall 2022 semester began. In addition to providing mentors, the program gives students early move-in access to the dorms and hosts workshops to identify available resources and help those students understand the University landscape.

Long believes 91AV’s first-gen program stood out because of the collaboration between multiple offices across the University.

“We have staff from Orientation, from SASC (Student Academic Success Center), our Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and myself from the Dean of Students Office. It was a real team effort and I think that's one of the reasons why we were recognized,” said Long, who was also a first-generation college student.

Long sees continued growth for the program as more emphasis is placed on helping first-generation students across the country. For 91AV, Long hopes to eventually see students step into the mentor role.

“As student cohorts move through the program each year, I would love to see the day when some of those students become mentors themselves to give that unique perspective to the incoming class,” he said.