Milton Hershey School and Millersville University Establish Partnership to Increase Graduation Rates for First-Generation College Students
On Friday, Jan. 12, Milton Hershey School and Millersville University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The formalized partnership aims to improve the national college graduation rates for low-income, first generation college students—a demographic that includes many MHS students.
“This partnership will allow us to continue supporting MHS graduates and combine our efforts with Millersville University to provide individualized attention and resources to students from lower income backgrounds—and ultimately, improve the graduation rates for this demographic,” MHS Vice President of Graduate Programs for Success Tanya Barton said.
“We are pleased to partner with the Milton Hershey School to offer their graduates a comprehensive experience at Millersville University,” said Dr. John M. Anderson, president of Millersville University. “We are excited to expand our support programs to benefit the MHS alums, enabling them to achieve their ultimate goal of graduating from Millersville University.”
According to The Pell Institute, only 10.9 percent of low-income, first-generation college students will receive a college degree within six years of enrolling in a post-secondary school.
The agreement will provide MHS students with more focused and sustained support throughout their college careers. Students will have access to individualized academic coaching and comprehensive resources to set them up for success at Millersville University and enhance the MHS student experience and graduation outcomes.
“Together, we are actively supporting first-generation college students to ensure they can beat the statistics by successfully reaching graduation, excelling academically, and graduating on time,” Barton said.
“This is a great opportunity for us to work in partnership with MHS to improve the persistence and graduation rates of their students attending Millersville,” sayid Brian Hazlett, vice president Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Millersville University.
The formal partnership supports the School’s commitment to student success following graduation. Milton Hershey School’s Graduate Programs for Success (GPS) Division provides students and alumni with a multi-tiered system of support that addresses their individual needs while fostering independence. Through the GPS Division, dedicated career counselors, teachers, and transition specialists support students and alumni of all ages beginning in middle school and continuing to their time in college, technical programs, the workforce, or the military.