
New RISE Initiative Empowers First-Gen Students Set to launch this fall, RISE will support first-generation students and their families in navigating a successful college experience.
By
Colette Greenstein
June 7, 2023
Image by Dave Green
Berklee is excited to announce RISE (Reaching Independence through Support and Engagement), a new initiative dedicated to supporting and empowering first-generation students and their families in navigating a successful college experience. Beginning in fall 2023, RISE aims to enhance the student experience through social networks, academic support, financial education, and parent and family engagement, creating a holistic approach to education.
We are excited to launch RISE and believe it greatly assists our first-generation artist-scholars, said Scott Trach, associate dean of student success programs. As a first-generation college student and Berklee alumnus, I understand how navigating higher education structures can be challenging. We have designed RISE to anticipate these challenges and assist students and families as they plan for and experience their first year at Berklee.
Under Trachs supervision, Student Success Programming has spent years developing the guiding principles for the RISE program and establishing opportunities to measure the success of first-generation students using institutional metrics. They recently found that over 16 percent of Berklees undergraduate population can be identified as first-generation based on their parent or guardians level of degree attainment. Berklee defines first-generation as any student whose parent(s) or guardian(s) did not complete a bachelor's degree, and/or the student has no current contact with their parent(s) or guardian(s), regardless of degree completion.
It is our hope that through RISE students will gain the knowledge and comfort to navigate the often confusing waters of higher education with increased confidence, and that parents and families will have a stronger sense of connection to their students college experiences, said Kera Murphy-Perron, director of student success programming.
Drawing from research and best practices, Murphy-Perron and her team found that first-generation students face unique challenges, including greater financial need, lower rates of degree attainment within 10 years, and less engagement with campus support services compared to their continuing-generation peers. We wanted to address these issues, but not from a deficit perspective, said Murphy-Perron.
At its core, RISE aims to further the three key priorities of Berklee's Thrive strategic direction: enabling students to graduate at higher rates and with less debt; supporting students to have a high-quality, engaging experience; and preparing students for purposeful, successful, and sustainable careers.
Nationally, first-generation college students and families are a growing population within our post-secondary communities, and this should be celebrated, said Christopher Kandus-Fisher, Ed.D., vice president of Berklees Student Success Division. I am overjoyed to be part of this important work at Berklee, and to continue to offer direct care and support services to ensure that our first-generation students are successful in achieving their academic and personal goals.
In May 2023, the Center for First-Generation Student Success, an initiative of NASPA and the Suder Foundation, announced that Berklee was accepted to the First Scholars Network for 2023-2024. According to the center, Berklee displayed a demonstrated commitment to improving experiences and advancing success for first-generation college students.
We are extremely honored to be selected as a First Scholars Network member by the Center for First-Generation Student Success, said Murphy-Perron. This selection is a confirmation of the college's strong dedication to supporting first-generation students and their families.
Related Categories
News
Most Popular
Illustration by Dana Smith
Music Licensing 101: How to Sync Your Music Learn how to create syncable music, stand out to music supervisors, and negotiate sync deals with these tips and insights from music licensing experts.
Latest
A spread from the spring/summer 2022 issue of Berklee Today
Images by Brian Guido/Design by Patrick Mitchell
Berklee Today Wins Bronze CASE Awards The awards recognized the magazines high-art design and improved redesign.
Rub n Segovia Cobo
Student Spotlight: Rub n Segovia Cobo The Berklee Valencia graduate student talks about expanding his production skills, empowering artists to express their ideas, and the release of his first studio album, Plastic Boy.
Image courtesy of Bahar Badieitar
Student Spotlight: Bahar Badieitabar The composition and performance major talks about her journey to Berklee from Iran, composing on the oud, and how she finds inspiration in the traditional and folkloric music of her home country.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
North America Stories
09/05/2025
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Studio Technologies said the Harvard University athletics department has integrated Dante-enabled equipment from the vendor into its broadcast ...
09/05/2025
NEW YORK ITN, a provider of a local linear supply side platform, and Magnite, a independent sell-side advertising company, have announced that they working toge...
09/05/2025
LEEDS, U.K. Nugen Audio has launched a new speech intelligibility plug-in, DialogCheck and offered up quotes from technologists working at places like Netflix p...
09/05/2025
AJA I/O Gear: The Heart of Broadcast Solutions' VEGO Mobile Editing Solution
Brie Clayton May 8, 2025
0 Comments
When working remotely on broadcas...
09/05/2025
What do they teach in an Advanced Adobe After Effects Course?
Roland Kahlenberg May 8, 2025
0 Comments
There aren't many advanced After Effects co...
09/05/2025
Larry Jordan Sits with Trevor Morgan of OpenDrives at NAB 2025
Brie Clayton May 8, 2025
0 Comments
Trevor Morgan, COO of OpenDrives, shares how the co...
09/05/2025
Berklee Popular Music Institute Announces UK Festival Debut and Tour Dates For the first time, BPMI will bring Berklee-affiliated artists and students to the ...
08/05/2025
A sinister fairy infiltrates a desperate family in Kenneth Dagatan's In My Mother's Skin, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Photo co...
08/05/2025
For skyward-bound operators, training focuses on the unique aspects of flying ISR missions, including the management of onboard surveillance equipment and the e...
08/05/2025
The cable industry has told the Federal Communications Commission it supports the National Association of Broadcasters' proposal to allow broadcasters to us...
08/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Consumer Technology Association has continued its opposition to mandates requiring that NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 tuners be included in new TV sets, sa...
08/05/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real time visualization, has named Paul Maroni as Vice Pres...
08/05/2025
This year's UK Pavilion in hall 5, once again managed by Tradefair, will provide visitors with the unique opportunity to discuss and be involved in cutting ...
08/05/2025
Rohde & Schwarz will showcase its latest energy-efficient transmitters and 5G Broadcast technologies, designed to support network operators and content provider...
08/05/2025
IRVING, Texas Nexstar Media Group has tapped Bill Nardi as vice president of station operations, responsible for overseeing the day-to-day broadcast operations ...
08/05/2025
SEATTLE LumaTouch is partnering with CNN Academy to improve mobile storytelling techniques and support training across all of CNN Academy's training simulat...
08/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Society of Broadcast Engineers has filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission that support a proposal by the National Association ...
08/05/2025
Senior adviser to the United States Agency for Global Media Kari Lake has announced that One America News Network (OAN) will provide newsfeed services for fre...
08/05/2025
EdMon Expands as AI-Driven Post Production Workflows Gains Traction in Sweden an...
08/05/2025
Using Luma Mattes in Adobe Premiere Pro
Graham Quince May 7, 2025
0 Comments
This very quick tutorial shows you how to take an RGB clip and apply its ...
08/05/2025
OpenDrives Unveils Free Your Data' Initiative with New Astraeus Cloud-Nativ...
08/05/2025
Student Spotlight: Grigori Balasanyan The Armenian composer, who was named Boston Conservatory at Berklees 2025 student commencement speaker, talks about his ...
08/05/2025
May 8th, 2025 Press Materials Available Here
Tribeca Festival 2025 Unveils New Premieres Spanning Film and Music
Slick Rick's Victory with Idris Elba a...
08/05/2025
May 8th, 2025 Press Materials Available Here
Tribeca Festival 2025 Announces Lineup for Inaugural Storytelling Summit
11-Day Industry Event Launches with Tal...
08/05/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Vizrt's Nicholas Jameson on AI in Workflows, Pushing Boundarie...
08/05/2025
Creating Alternative Brand Experiences: Live Sports in the Age of Fortnite, Meta...
08/05/2025
PGA TOUR's David Piccolo: Advanced Graphics and Virtual Production Tools are...
08/05/2025
Tech Focus: Advancing Immersion in Sports Broadcasting with AR and Virtual Produ...
08/05/2025
Back to All News
Now in Production: Comedy Action Film Husbands in Action'...
08/05/2025
Artificial intelligence is helping identify and treat diseases faster with better results for humankind. Natural disasters like wildfires are next.
Fires in th...
08/05/2025
Calling all wiseguys - 2K's acclaimed Mafia franchise is available to stream...
08/05/2025
As AI use cases continue to expand - from document summarization to custom software agents - developers and enthusiasts are seeking faster, more flexible ways t...
07/05/2025
Warsaw, Poland - April 28, 2025 - Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, has released its latest March All Screens Video Landscap...
07/05/2025
LONDON Movie fans hoping to save money by waiting until their favorite new films appear on streaming services will have to wait a bit longer now, according to a...
07/05/2025
MECCA, Saudi Arabia Saudi Broadcasting Authority (SBA) has selected Grass Valley to provide a major technology upgrade of its broadcast facility here....
07/05/2025
Sony and Nevion provide guidance on IP network architecture options for live pro...
07/05/2025
Media Pioneer Publishing AG Expands Editorial Capacity
Brie Clayton May 7, 2025
0 Comments
Pioneer 2 boat production environment powered by Blackmagic...
07/05/2025
LONDON Movie fans hoping to save money by waiting until their favorite new films appear on streaming services will have to wait a bit longer now, according to a...
07/05/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau is seeking public comment on a Petition for Rulemaking from HC2 Broadcasting Holdings asking...
07/05/2025
WASHINGTON Following a decision by U.S. Department of Education to terminate its 2020-2025 Ready To Learn to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, CPB has in...
07/05/2025
NEW YORK Fox's ad-supported streaming Tubi made a series of product and partnership announcements during IAB NewFronts in New York, including the launch of ...
07/05/2025
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. Google Fiber (GFiber) has announced a redesigned app that the company said will simplify how customers set up service, manage devices, and...
07/05/2025
WASHINGTON NASAs on-demand streaming service, NASA+, has launched a FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) channel on Prime Video....
07/05/2025
NEW YORK The WNET Group, parent company of the PBS station Thirteen, has announced the appointment of Randall T. Decker to senior director, technology, effectiv...
07/05/2025
Atomos announced an executive leadership transition as the Company continues to evolve and expand its strategic focus.
Peter Barber, currently serving as Chie...
07/05/2025
Steve Wagner, Jerry Holway and Robert Orf at the 2024 Scientific and Technical Awards at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.
The ...
07/05/2025
nxtedition, the Swedish company behind the leading integrated platform for news and program production, and TASCAM, the iconic Japanese manufacturer of professi...
07/05/2025
Signiant is bringing its Camera-Raw-to-Any-Cloud workflow to the UK for the first time at the Media Production & Technology Show 2025 (Booth# M69) with a live d...
07/05/2025
MNC Software Inc., a global leader in software and network solutions tailored to the broadcast and media industry, has appointed Gencom Technology as an officia...