Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

Transforming the First-Generation Student Experience: University to Welcome First Kessler Scholars

Tuesday, May 12, 2020, By News Staff
Share
Forever OrangeStudent Experiencestudent scholarships
Three people standing watching woman sitting sign a document

Fred Wilpon, Chancellor Kent Syverud and Judy Wilpon look on as Robin Wilpon Wachtler signs the agreement for Syracuse University to join the Irene and Morris B. Kessler Presidential Scholars Program.

What started as a scholarship to support students with financial need has evolved into a transformative model to support first-generation college students. The Irene and Morris B. Kessler Presidential Scholars Program was first established by Fred and Judy Wilpon in 2007 at the University of Michigan. Now, through the generosity of the Wilpons, Syracuse University will join the consortium of colleges and universities who are transforming the first-generation student experience by welcoming its first cohort of Kessler Presidential Scholars in fall 2020.

“I am grateful to Fred and Judy Wilpon for establishing a Kessler Presidential Scholars Program at Syracuse University. Their bold vision to transform the first-generation college student experience advances Syracuse University’s ongoing commitment to access, opportunity and inclusion, and support of first-generation student success,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud.

Administered by the Division of Enrollment and the Student Experience, the inaugural group of Kessler Scholars will consist of 15 academically talented, well-rounded and diverse incoming undergraduates across Syracuse University’s schools and colleges who identify as first-generation college students. These students will not only receive scholarship awards but will also have access to holistic services that enhance their experience on campus. In addition to programs and events hosted to build community among the Kessler Scholars, each student will also be connected to a peer mentor, participate in career-enrichment opportunities, engage in community projects and study abroad.

Ensuring an unsurpassed student experience is paramount to the University and is a top priority of Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University. The Kessler Scholars Program is well-aligned with this priority as it aims to support students in all facets of their lives—in and outside of the classroom.

With about 17 percent of the undergraduate student body identifying as first generation, the Kessler Scholars Program deepens the University’s commitment to creating pathways to higher education for students across the socioeconomic spectrum who are the first in their family to go to college.

“The Wilpons’ commitment to access to higher education for first-generation students and their support of enhancing the student experience is unmatched,” says Dolan Evanovich, senior vice president for enrollment and the student experience. “The network they are building through this national model for first-generation students will undoubtedly have far reaching impact not only for the scholars, but first-generation college student success across the country.”

First established at the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science and Arts, the Kessler Scholars Program has grown into a network of colleges and universities. As the leading scholarship program for first-generation students, the program is distinct in that it provides comprehensive support through wrap-around, multi-tiered services to ensure students’ success from the moment they enroll to after graduation.

The approach behind the model is not only based on sound research in student success, but was the lived experience of Fred Wilpon, who, as a first-generation college student, found success with the support of mentors and a community of friends. Wilpon, who has had a long career as a businessman and chairman and CEO of the New York Mets, and his wife, Judy, look forward to expanding the program at Syracuse University and providing even more first-generation college students with the same support and community to help them thrive.

The University will notify the inaugural cohort of Kessler Scholars of their selection for the program later this month.

The University of Michigan officially announced national expansion of the Kessler Scholars Program in a May 12 news release.

About Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors close the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what’s possible.

About Forever Orange
Orange isn’t just our color. It’s our promise to leave the world better than we found it. Forever Orange: The Campaign for Syracuse University is poised to do just that. Fueled by 150 years of fearless firsts, together we can enhance academic excellence, transform the student experience and expand unique opportunities for learning and growth. Forever Orange endeavors to raise $1.5 billion in philanthropic support, inspire 125,000 individual donors to participate in the campaign, and actively engage one in five alumni in the life of the University. Now is the time to show the world what Orange can do. Visit syracuse.edu/foreverorange to learn more.

  • Author

News Staff

  • Recent
  • Syracuse Views Spring 2023
    Wednesday, February 8, 2023, By Christine Weber
  • Falk Public Health Professor Katherine McDonald Honored for Research on Creating Inclusive Communities
    Wednesday, February 8, 2023, By Matt Michael
  • The Breedlove Readers Book Club Gears Up for Spring 2023 Series
    Wednesday, February 8, 2023, By Martin Walls
  • ECS Students Invited to Study Abroad at the Crossroads of Europe
    Tuesday, February 7, 2023, By Alex Dunbar
  • A Star’s Unexpected Survival
    Tuesday, February 7, 2023, By Dan Bernardi

More In Campus & Community

Falk Public Health Professor Katherine McDonald Honored for Research on Creating Inclusive Communities

In June, Falk College Associate Dean of Research and Professor of Public Health Katherine McDonald will receive the 2023 Research Award from the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD). The award will recognize McDonald’s recent research, but in…

The Breedlove Readers Book Club Gears Up for Spring 2023 Series

Applications are now open for the spring 2023 edition of The Breedlove Readers, a book club that encourages middle and high school girls throughout Central New York to celebrate black girl stories through reading, writing, and creating. The club is…

Student Veteran Savion Pollard ’25 an Honored Guest During Tonight’s State of the Union Address

Tonight’s annual State of the Union Address from President Joseph R. Biden L’68 to a joint session of Congress and the American people will have a decidedly Orange tint to it, and not just because President Biden is a proud…

Success Scholars Recognized for Exemplary First Semester

The University is celebrating its largest number of new Success Scholars this year—1,253 students. The number of Success Scholars—first-year students recognized for their outstanding academic record their first semester—has grown 63% since the program started in 2019. First-year students (and…

Annual Service of Commemoration to Be Held March 21

The University will hold its annual Service of Commemoration—honoring students, faculty, staff, retirees, trustees and honorary degree recipients of Syracuse University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry students, faculty, staff, retirees and trustees who passed during the period…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2023 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.