The staff of EC First-Gen Coalition speak at a mixer for first-generation students during Autumn Term 2026. Photos by Penh Alicandro ’22
This fall, 23.4% of the first-year students at Eckerd College are the first in their family to attend college.
Eckerd’s support for these students just got a boost. FirstGen Forward recently announced Eckerd College as a new member to the FirstGen Forward Network Class of 2026. To be selected as a FirstGen Forward Network Member, Eckerd demonstrated a commitment to improving experiences and advancing success for first-generation college students.
Assistant Dean of Faculty and Director of Academic Coaching Margret Skaftadottir, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor and Instruction & Research Librarian Heather Bush led the effort to join the nonprofit national network of institutions. The new EC First-Gen Coalition will receive financial support from the Student Success division while seeking additional grants.
“We first heard about FirstGen Forward through the celebrations of National First-Gen Day at other campuses,” Bush said. “We looked at those programs and were excited to participate. Once we learned more about the support they offer, we decided to put together an application to join the network.”
Assistant Dean of Faculty and Director of Academic Coaching Margret Skaftadottir, Ph.D., speaks to first-generation students during Autumn Term 2026.
The FirstGen Forward Network provides a three-phase approach—Network Member, Network Leader, and Network Champion—to scaling holistic first-generation student success by engaging and empowering higher education institutions to transform the first-generation student experience, advance academic and co-curricular outcomes, and build more inclusive institutional structures. With the new class, the Network includes more than 500 institutions of higher education, including two statewide systems, representing 48 states and the District of Columbia.
Eckerd College’s incoming first-year students are 23.4% first-generation college students, highlighting the impact of the College’s new membership within the FirstGen Forward Network.
“We are excited to welcome Eckerd College to the FirstGen Forward Network,” said Martina A. Martin, vice president at FirstGen Forward. “Throughout the application process, Eckerd College demonstrated a clear commitment to advancing success for first-generation students—backed by a willingness to align strategy, data, and campus-wide efforts for long-term impact. Their leadership reflects a meaningful investment in creating the conditions where first-generation students can thrive.”
Both Skaftadottir and Bush are first-generation college students themselves. While working with student leaders to create programming, they sought to help eliminate some of the invisible barriers to thriving in the college environment. “You don’t know what you don’t know,” Skaftadottir said. “As a graduate student, I made a lot of my choices by watching my cohort and following their lead. I didn’t know about many opportunities and resources available.”
Over the past few years, first-gen students at Eckerd have been invited to socials to connect with faculty, staff and Academy of Senior Professionals at Eckerd College members who were also the first in their family to go to college. Students got to ask their burning questions, make connections with one another and foster mentorships in their chosen fields. The club also hosted events explaining the ins and outs of financial aid, study abroad and other enriching aspects of the college experience.
Eckerd College hosted a mixer for first-generation students in its incoming first-year class on Friday, August 26, 2026.
EC First-Gen Coalition’s staff includes co-chairs Skaftdottir and Bush, Marketing & Creative Content Coordinator Emma Mead ’21, Engagement and Logistics Coordinator Shayla Lapp, and three first-gen student employees. The group plans to join the national First-Generation College Celebration in November, host a variety of social events throughout the year, and collaborate with the Career Center, the Center for Global Education, the Unity Center, and the Center for Academic Excellence to increase accessibility of services to first-generation college students and tailor programming to their needs.
After successful completion of the Network Member phase, institutions may progress to the second phase, FirstGen Forward Network Leader, in which institutions receive an evidence-based and research-supported framework of actionable priorities supported through monthly workshops; diagnostic tools providing critical institutional insight; robust data-sharing as part of the national Postsecondary Data Partnership; guidance of expert coaches along each step of the experience; and more. Ultimately, all Network institutions strive for national leadership as FirstGen Forward Network Champions.
“There is nothing quite like seeing a new generation of institutions step into this network with purpose and passion,” said Dr. Stephanie J. Bannister, President of FirstGen Forward. “FirstGen Forward exists because we believe institutions are strongest when they learn alongside one another—sharing evidence-based practices, working through challenges together, and advancing first-generation student success at scale. Eckerd is joining a community of practitioners doing exactly that, and the Class of 2026 represents a remarkable groundswell of energy and commitment. I know Eckerd will be a meaningful contributor to what we build together.”
