First Things First: Mission, Relevancy and Supporting Persistence of First-Generation College Students

First-generation college (FGC) students make up a majority of college campuses (NCES, 2018). FGC students face barriers that may affect their academic persistence in college (Darling & Scandlyn-Smith, 2007; Pascarella et al., 2012; Schelbe et al., 2019). Catholic colleges and universities have a distinct mandate to serve FGC students but experience cultural drift because of the need to remain relevant in the higher education system (Francis, 2017; Francis, 2020; Heft, 1997; John Paul II, 1990; Morey & Piderit, 2006). The purpose of this single-case study was to analyze the impact of Catholic Mission on leaders', administrators' and faculty members' perception of academic advising experiences of traditional FGC students at a four-year Catholic University. Interview data revealed perceptions and practices of key stakeholders. Data were triangulated through document analysis and field observation. Analysis was conducted using Creswell's (2013) Data Analysis Spiral. The research study revealed that tensions exist that affect stakeholder perceptions of academic advising programs, which may influence the academic persistence of FGC college students at San Matteo University (a pseudonym). Research exposed key components for effective advising to improve FGC student persistence and four pillars that enhance advising stakeholder perceptions of FGC student advising. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]