At the Promoting At-Promise Student Success Forum held on March 3, faculty and staff who provide academic and social support to students gained a better understanding of the barriers and challenges at-promise students face at the university. "At-promise" refers to first-generation, low-income, and ethnic/racially minoritized students.

The event was organized and facilitated by faculty and staff fellows who are participating in a three-year professional learning community to study PASS research, which outlines elements needed to create a validating campus culture to support at-promise students’ persistence, degree completion, and career development.

More than 130 faculty and staff from across 58 campus units heard from a panel of at-promise students who shared the challenges and barriers they have faced at UNL, followed by small group discussions about vignettes representing other common student experiences. Attendees were also introduced to the ecology of validation framework based on a decade-long study of the William H. Thompson Scholar learning communities on the Lincoln, Omaha, and Kearney campuses.

The forum was intentionally designed to build networks across faculty and staff, enabling them to share expertise, learn about campus resources, and collectively surface barriers that UNL
can address to better support at-promise students.

In a post-event evaluation, attendees indicated they have more knowledge about the ecology of validation framework and the institutional barriers at-promise students face.

• 98% felt the panel helped them better understand at-promise students’ experiences.
• 98% connected with someone else on campus who supports student success.
• 89% can describe the validation framework norms.
• 95% understand how to tailor strength-based support to value at-promise students’ cultural assets, talents, skills, and previous successes.
• 88% feel empowered to identify institutional barriers to student success.

Attendees also described action steps they plan to take to support at-promise students.

• Connect with staff in other units to understand the services they provide for at-promise students.
• Advocate for institutional policy change.
• Learn how to donate to student organizations that create belonging for at-promise students.
• Engage in events and initiatives sponsored by students of color.
• Examine college-specific data regarding at-promise students.
• Learn about financial assistance programs and how to support undocumented students.

UNL’s Quality Initiative project for the Higher Learning Commission’s 2026 Reaffirmation of Accreditation process will draw upon the forum and other culture change efforts at the university that are designed to increase undergraduate degree completion and equity.