A full-circle moment for a first-generation student
Charla Fowlkes helps Towson University’s first-generation student population as assistant director for Student Success Programs
By Kyle Hobstetter on November 7, 2023
During the campus welcome event for new Towson University President Mark Ginsberg, Charla Fowlkes didn’t hesitate to introduce herself.
She moved so fast the group she was with didn’t even realize she was gone.
For Fowlkes, there is no hesitation when it comes to helping first-generation students either. As the new assistant director for Student Success Programs, she is ready to make sure everyone at TU can help first-generation Tigers.
“The Towson University community needs to be on the lookout because I’m asking for support,” Fowlkes says while laughing. “And no one is excluded, not even President Ginsberg.”
Fowlkes has always had a passion for helping first-generation students. That’s because she was a first-generation, adult learner, earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Notre Dame of Maryland University.
This led to a 15-year career in higher education, including the past five years in TU’s Department of Nursing and College of Business & Economics.
She is continuing her own higher education journey, working toward a doctorate in higher education administration where her research focuses on how colleges and universities can help first-generation students.
Earlier this summer, Student Success Programs created the assistant director position, specifically to find ways to support TU’s first-generation population.
“The position was perfect,” Fowlkes says. “It’s almost too good to be true. This opportunity aligns closely with the research I want to do around first-generation students and how we support them from a lens of retention and student success.”
It is a full-circle moment for Fowlkes, who felt that while when she was in college, many didn’t understand her journey.
She didn’t have resources other students had, and she didn’t understand things like how to withdraw from classes or what applying for financial aid meant. Now she works with students who are having a similar experience.
“I look at my students’ experiences and tell them they’re trailblazers in their families,” Fowlkes says. “I always tell my students, ‘I'm giving you the cheat codes to navigate this journey so you can go on and be successful.’
Fowlkes is ready to help educate the Towson University community about first-generation students. This includes helping plan TU’s annual First Gen Day Celebration on Wed., Nov. 8.
After five years of working on TU’s academic side, she’s excited to marry that with student affairs to help truly build a community of support for TU’s first-generation students. And so far, the Student Success Programs team, as well as the students, have welcomed Fowlkes with open arms.
“I love coming to work,” Fowlkes says with a big smile. “My students bring their lunch and sit with me. It’s just exhilarating because I get that first-hand experience with them, to hear their stories and hear what they need.
“Tammie King-Kelly (director of Student Success Programs) has given me autonomy to be creative because we both understand students come first. Our students are who we are here for.”
Student Success Programs
First Gen Day
Towson University and Student Success Programs are proud to host First Gen Day! Taking place at the University Union Ballrooms from 11 a.m.–2 p.m., this event will provide first-generation students all the information they need to succeed during college.
This will include tabling and information from:
- Career Center
- Counseling Center
- Health Center
- Financial Aid
- Civic Engagement
- Foodshare
- Tutoring & Learning
- International Students & Scholars
- Library
- CSD Student Orgs
- Sisterhood
- Academic Advising, Retention & Completion
The event will also feature a lunch and networking opportunity, a special bingo game as well as a check presentation from the Towson University Black Alumni Alliance. Faculty and staff who identify as first-generation students are highly encouraged to attend.