$1.1M Grant Awarded to Saint Mary’s College
The investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Wilpon Family Foundation extends participation in the Kessler Scholars Collaborative, a national network focused on first-generation student success
Building on strong early outcomes, Saint Mary’s College has been awarded a $1.1 million, four-year grant to extend its participation in the Kessler Scholars Collaborative and deepen its work to assure opportunity and success outcomes for first-generation, limited-income (FGLI) college students. This joint investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Judy and Fred Wilpon Family Foundation assures Saint Mary’s will continue as part of the national Collaborative network providing comprehensive student support interventions and helping to distribute best practices and resources.
Saint Mary’s College launched the Kessler Scholars Program on its campus in fall 2023 and has welcomed 60 first-generation students as Kessler Scholars since the program’s start. Kessler Scholars at Saint Mary’s have benefited from personalized advising and support from dedicated staff and peer mentors; cohort-based activities to reinforce a sense of belonging; and evidence-based programming designed to elevate first-generation students’ strengths and support their academic, personal, and professional development.
Early results from Saint Mary’s show the promise of this comprehensive support mode.
“This grant renewal is a powerful investment in the success of our Kessler Scholars Program,” said Dr. Redgina Hill, Vice President for Inclusion & Equity at Saint Mary’s. “The program has already transformed the way we connect, equip, and empower students at Saint Mary’s, and this continued support allows us to deepen that impact.”
At scale, over 1,600 Kessler Scholars enrolled across the 16 partner campuses will benefit from the program’s comprehensive support model. First launched in fall 2020 with six partner campuses, the Collaborative expanded to 10 additional sites in fall 2023 in a partnership with the American Talent Initiative (ATI), a national effort to expand college access and opportunity for students from low- and moderate-income backgrounds. Early results across the partner institutions in the Kessler Scholars Collaborative show the promise of the Kessler Scholars Program’s comprehensive support model:
76% average four-year degree completion for students who started as Kessler Scholars in fall 2020, the first year the Collaborative formed with operations across six partner campuses. By comparison, the average four-year graduation rate was 59% for all first-generation students who started at those same institutions in fall 2020.
97% of graduating seniors in the Kessler Scholars Program in spring 2025 reported they had participated in at least one high-impact practice such as research, an internship, or study abroad – a key indicator of student success during and beyond college.
90% of Kessler Scholars in spring 2025 rated their experience in the Kessler Scholars Program as good or excellent, and 98% of graduating senior respondents indicated that they would recommend the program to students with similar backgrounds.
Although first-generation college students make up more than half of all undergraduates in the U.S., only 24% earn a bachelor’s degree six years after starting college, compared with almost 60% of students whose parents hold a bachelor’s degree. Too often, first-gen students fail to persist in college because the experiences they encounter on campuses leave them feeling unwelcome, unsure where to turn for academic or personal support, and with an overwhelming sense that college just isn’t for them. They also are juggling numerous responsibilities, such as working alongside studying, making it difficult to take full advantage of all that college has to offer. According to FirstGenForward, only 8% of first-gen college students study abroad and fewer than 1 in 4 complete a paid internship during their undergraduate career.
Disrupting those patterns—at the individual and institutional levels—the foundational aim of the Kessler Scholars student support model, which is based on research showing that sustained, comprehensive student support programs hold the greatest promise for changing the story of college access and success. Kessler Scholars overwhelmingly report a strong sense of belonging to the program.
The extension funding announced today will ensure the operations of Kessler Scholars Programs in the Collaborative continue through 2030.
“Through the American Talent Initiative and through projects like the Kessler Scholars Collaborative, we are providing colleges with new, innovative, and evidence-based resources and support they need to broaden postsecondary opportunity,” said Nick Watson, who leads programs for college access and success at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “We are committed to ensuring that higher education is a place for opportunity for all students, regardless of their family’s income or educational history.”
“We are thrilled about this exciting next chapter for the important student success work of the Kessler Scholars Program,” said Gail Gibson, executive director of the Collaborative. “We are demonstrating how a comprehensive, cohort-based approach can help close outcome gaps and promote a sense of belonging for first-generation students. We are so excited to be able to extend this effort and continue to amplify its work to provide guidance to colleagues and institutions across higher education.”
This funding extension is designed to assure that campuses participating in the Collaborative have the opportunity to deepen the program’s impact and plan for its sustainability. The extension period also provides time to assess core outcomes, including retention and degree completion, across the undergraduate journey. During the extension period, Ithaka S+R, a non-profit organization focused on higher-education research, will continue the project’s multi-site external evaluation.
“With these resources, we can expand innovative programming, foster a stronger sense of belonging, and ensure students have the tools, mentorship, and opportunities they need to thrive, both on campus and beyond graduation,” said Dr. Hill of Saint Mary’s.
As part of the Kessler Scholars Collaborative, Saint Mary’s College and partner institutions in the network meet regularly to share resources, evaluate best practices, and participate in Collaborative-wide student engagement and networking opportunities. Saint Mary’s is joined in this work by the following institutions: Bates College; Brown University; Centre College; Cornell University; Johns Hopkins University; Queens College; St. Francis College; Syracuse University; The Ohio State University; University of California, Riverside; University of Dayton; University of Michigan; University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; University of Pittsburgh; and Washington University in St. Louis.
August 13, 2025