‘How do I pay for this?’

When a person becomes the first student in their family to attend a college, the experience can be a daunting and financial challenge.

But for high-school seniors and adults who are the first in their families to enroll at Rowan College of South Jersey in September, the transition will be easier, thanks to the Keating Family Institute for First-Generation Students.

Rowan President Dr. Frederick Keating, the Rowan College Foundation and the OceanFirst Foundation announced plans on Nov. 6 for an institute that will help those seniors and adults succeed with support from scholarships, mentorship and networking opportunities. It is expected to launch in the fall of 2025.

“I’m proud to be a first-generation student,” Keating said. “I remember that difficult conversation at the dinner table, but one person reached back and got me, and put me on a path that helped define my future. It’s my privilege to create this institute – bearing my family’s name – to function as that person and provide that give-back to make educational opportunity easier for the next, first generation.

“The first-generation college student is unique,” he added. “Their concerns are unique, and so must be the solutions to those concerns. Many students turn up at Rowan with a fear deep inside them, wondering, ‘Is this for me?'”

The institute, Keating added, will offer staff to hear the students’ concerns and guide them toward workable solutions, among them two Summer Connect events in August that help all newcomers with navigating campus and learning about resources.

Another solution is Rowan’s Welcome Week program. During the opening of classes at both the Gloucester County and Cumberland County campuses, Rowan faculty, staff, and administrators are strategically placed to help new students with issues, including classroom locations and textbook purchases.

“I believe that education is the great equalizer,” Keating pointed out, referencing student financial stress. “It certainly was for me. But I also know that first-generation students face many barriers to education, and one of the most universal is: ‘How do I pay for this?’

“This college doesn’t turn its back on anyone, at any time, for any reason,” he added. “If they need help, we’re going to find a way to give it to them. So, OceanFirst Bank has come to the rescue with $30,000 for 15 scholarships in Gloucester County and 15 scholarships in Cumberland County.”

Keating referenced the Rowan College of South Jersey Foundation’s donation of proceeds from its annual golf tournament and fundraiser – another $20,000 – and a contribution from his own family to establish the first Keating Family Scholarship last April.

“My only ask of the students who benefit from these support programs and scholarships is go out, find someone else like you, and bring them into the fold,” Keating emphasized. “Education is the key to opportunity, and one day, it will be your great honor to pass that key onto another, just as it’s our honor to pass it to you today.”

The cornerstone of the Keating Family Presidential Institute for First-Generation Students will be the Kappa Epsilon chapter of Alpha Alpha Alpha (Tri-Alpha), dedicated to supporting and celebrating the achievements of first-generation students. Tri-Alpha has already inducted 44 students and 55 faculty and staff members.

Tri-Alpha member and first-generation student Jeffery Corliss – a single father of three who will graduate from Rowan this spring alongside his daughter, Jasmine – got support along with her from the college.

“Rowan College at South Jersey has been more than just an educational institution for us, it has been a place of growth, resilience, and opportunity,” Corliss shared. “The support provided by the college, the foundation and everyone here has made it possible for me and my daughter to achieve what once felt like an unobtainable goal.” 

Exercise Science major and first-generation student, Jovan Rayes – one of the first recipients of an OceanFirst Foundation scholarship – was moved by the generosity of the foundation and reflected on how proud it would make his parents to see him standing at the podium that day. 

“I know my mom would be proud, her growing up struggling with English through school and getting bullied,” Rayes said. “I’m very grateful for this, and I know my parents would be proud, coming from Puerto Rico and Nicaragua.”

Rowan foundation director Cody Miller announced an additional $20,000 contribution to fund scholarships. Later in the Nov. 6 event, the new Milt Thompson Scholarship – $500 to a first-generation student planning to attend an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) – was also announced, along with its recipient, Gary Boyd. Thompson is a former Phillie.

“I’m a first-generation Rowan Choice student and I’m very grateful for this scholarship,” Boyd explained. “Being from Trenton and moving here to South Jersey has been a huge shift for me. Having MOCA (the Men of Color Alliance at Rowan) has given me a place to belong and a sense of grounding …”

The institute’s first-generation students are encouraged to become members when they first enroll at Rowan and are eligible to join as long as their parents, step-parents or legal guardians have not completed a bachelor’s degree.  

Reach out to FirstGen@rcsj.edu with questions and to be contacted when the institute is open for applications.