Newman University announces enhancements to its Navigator program and a $1.5 million Student Success Center renovation, creating a four-part support system for first-generation college students through mentorship, tutoring, counseling, and career services.
-- Newman University has announced enhancements to its Navigator program and completed a $1.5 million renovation of its Student Success Center, creating a coordinated, four-part support system designed to improve outcomes for first-generation college students. The renovation received funding through a federal Title III grant and support from the Sunderland Foundation, along with gifts from individual alumni and friends of Newman University. The university has invested significantly in infrastructure that distinguishes its approach from peer institutions offering only single-touch orientation models. Introduced in Fall 2020, the Navigator program guides undergraduate students through their entire college experience, while the renovated Student Success Center centralizes academic tutoring, mental health counseling, career services, and support for F-1 international students.
More information is available at https://newmanu.edu/admissions
The investment responds to a national crisis in educational equity. First-generation college students graduate at only 24% compared to 59% for continuing-generation students, according to First Forward. This graduation gap stems from systemic barriers that targeted institutional support must address. Without dedicated programs, first-generation learners often navigate higher education without the family knowledge, mentorship networks, and understanding of institutional expectations that their peers take for granted.
These students face what researchers call the "hidden curriculum" of college—unwritten rules about communicating with professors, seeking help, and navigating bureaucratic systems that continuing-generation students learn at home. Newman's approach addresses these obstacles through faculty relationships and hands-on guidance. Regular contact with mentors correlates strongly with persistence, and research consistently shows that mentor relationships and self-advocacy skills are among the most powerful predictors of success for this population, particularly at smaller institutions where close faculty-student connections can be a structural advantage.
The Navigator program operates as a four-part initiative that provides personalized guidance, mentorship, and hands-on learning opportunities across the entire undergraduate journey. This distinguishes it from single-course orientation models common at other universities. The Student Success Center offers academic tutoring with 24/7 virtual availability, up to 12 counseling sessions per academic year, career services, and dedicated support for international students. These centralized resources are particularly critical given that 72% of Newman students live off-campus, making accessible, coordinated support essential to their academic progress.
Lawna Kurtyka, director of Navigator and herself a first-generation college graduate, brings lived experience to her role supporting students who face similar challenges. During a recent presentation at the Ad Astra Conference, which convenes first-generation students from colleges across Kansas and surrounding states, Kurtyka emphasized the importance of self-advocacy and institutional commitment. "Universities need to make sure that all parts of campus, from staff to faculty to student affairs to athletics, all parts of campus, make students feel welcomed and meet students where they are," Kurtyka said. Her philosophy reflects Newman's values-driven approach to removing stigma and building pathways to graduation for learners who historically have been underserved by higher education.
Newman University invites first-generation students and their families in Kansas to learn about the Navigator program and Student Success Center resources, which are intentionally designed to support academic persistence and professional opportunity. The university's commitment extends beyond orientation to encompass the full undergraduate experience. Students have access to mentorship, financial aid guidance, and career pathways that promote social mobility after graduation. By centralizing support and training faculty to recognize the distinct needs of first-generation learners, Newman has built an ecosystem where students can develop the skills and networks necessary for degree completion.
Additional details about Newman University are available at https://newmanu.edu/
Contact Info:
Name: Clark Schafer
Email: Send Email
Organization: Newman University
Address: 3100 McCormick , Wichita, Kansas 67213, United States
Website: https://newmanu.edu/
Source: PressCable
Release ID: 89194368
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