Change Agent: From Georgetown to Franklin & Marshall to Aspen, How Dan Porterfield Is Leading a Revolution to Get First-Generation Students Through College With a Degree
This passage is taken from Richard Whitmire’s new book, "The B.A. Breakthrough: How Ending Diploma Disparities Can Change the Face of America." For more excerpts, profiles, commentaries, videos, and additional data related to the book, visit The74Million.org/Breakthrough.
The effort to increase college acceptance rates for first-generation students has a long history, exemplified by initiatives like Pell Grants and the ongoing debates over affirmative action in college admissions. However, the focus has shifted in recent years to improving college graduation rates, as shocking statistics revealed the low success rates for these students. Notable leaders have emerged in this campaign, such as Dave Levin, Mike Feinberg, Richard Barth, and the founders of KIPP schools, who have implemented effective strategies to ensure student success in college. Similarly, leaders at Uncommon Schools have pioneered innovative approaches to enhance the K-12 education experience and increase the likelihood of college achievement. Early innovators like Deborah Bial’s Posse Foundation and Laurene Powell Jobs’ College Track have also contributed to the cause, providing support and resources for first-generation students. Nicole Hurd’s College Advising Corps, a more recent initiative, sends college advisers to schools that lack these resources, making a significant impact.
The author of this book aims to bring about a revolutionary change in the college success of first-generation students, and this revolution seems to be on the brink of success. Pedro Martinez, the superintendent of San Antonio ISD, stands out among traditional school district leaders for implementing data-driven college advising on a large scale. Additionally, Terry Grier, former superintendent of Houston, deserves recognition for embracing Rick Cruz’s innovative idea of creating a network to increase the chances of admission for bright, low-income students into top colleges, ultimately leading to degree attainment. The academic efforts of Caroline Hoxby and Sarah Turner have also played crucial roles in identifying high-performing, low-income high school students who deserve better opportunities for admission to elite colleges. Philanthropists have also fueled the movement, with the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation as a long-time champion and Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City, providing funding for professional college counselors to assist low-income students in finding colleges where they can thrive. In 2018, Bloomberg announced a significant donation of $1.8 billion to his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University, to ensure that low- and moderate-income students can attend without having to rely on loans for financial aid.
As is typical in movements, several passionate leaders emerge, individuals with the ability to inspire with their rhetoric and prose, putting the cause in historical context. These leaders have the potential to transform the movement from assisting a few thousand first-generation students to helping tens of thousands. One such individual is Dan Porterfield, who gained attention for his work on this issue at Georgetown University and further developed his vision as the president of Franklin & Marshall College. Now, as the new president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, Porterfield is leading a full-fledged revolution aimed at ensuring that first-generation students graduate from college. This revolution is on the verge of success.
Porterfield’s passion for the college success movement can be traced back to his experiences growing up in Baltimore. Raised by two teachers who divorced when he was young, Porterfield and his sister moved to a row house in a predominantly working-class, white neighborhood after the divorce. Despite this, Porterfield attended Northwood Elementary School, an integrated school that was transitioning to serving mostly African-American students. He noticed that he was the only child from his neighborhood attending Northwood, as his white neighbors went to a nearby Catholic school called St. Matthew’s.
In due course, numerous African American families relocated to the area, resulting in many white families fleeing to racially homogenous neighborhoods. However, the Porterfields decided to stay. "My mother formed friendships with the new families. We had regular friends with whom we played touch football, roller hockey in the streets, and did activities together. A significant part of my upbringing involved understanding that I needed to decide what kind of white person I wanted to be. There were two distinct models, and it was evident. One was my mother, who welcomed newcomers to the neighborhood. The other group consisted of individuals who attempted to push them away. I did not aspire to be like the people who resisted integration."
Subsequently, the second influential moment emerged. In seventh grade, Porterfield transferred to a middle school that operated on a shift basis due to overcrowding. This would have left Porterfield waiting at school for hours until his mother returned from her evening classes. "I experienced what it felt like to be in a household when a school system effectively says to parents, ‘You’re on your own.’ Desperate for an alternative, my mother took me to St. Paul’s School, an esteemed boys’ school in Baltimore County, and requested a scholarship – which was granted. My transition to St. Paul’s was academically overwhelming. I had no concept of equations or outlines. I vividly remember crying during dinner with my mother as we attempted to grasp the concept of an outline. Diagramming sentences was an entirely foreign and terrifying notion." Porterfield quickly realized that it was possible to catch up and considers this experience to be a lifelong lesson. He then attended Loyola Blakefield, a Jesuit high school, and later Georgetown University, where he became a Rhodes Scholar. At Georgetown, both as a professor and an administrator, he made a lasting impact by applying the life lessons he learned in Baltimore and reaching out to assist disadvantaged students.
Donnell Butler, who hails from the South Bronx, brings about change at Franklin & Marshall College, a respected educational institution that historically had predominantly white student enrollment. Considering the South Bronx as a national symbol of urban decay, despair, and crime in the 1970s and ’80s, Butler’s upbringing in the area diverges from many others. This is partly due to his mother, who, having divorced his biological father, met a soldier and subsequently enrolled Butler in esteemed military schools in North Carolina and Germany. When he returned to the South Bronx, Butler’s exceptional test scores in reading and math during fifth grade astonished everyone at P.S. 132. "No one had ever achieved such high scores before, so it became quite significant. I was nominated for a program in New York called Prep for Prep, which helped prepare and place me in a private high school in New York."
It was not just any private high school, but Horace Mann, an institution established in 1887 and renowned for its elite and affluent student body. As expected, Butler had several prestigious college options during his senior year. Though he received offers from both Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania, he ultimately chose Franklin & Marshall. During his college tours, he felt most at ease there and had the chance to meet many influential individuals. "I needed to select a place where I could grow and develop without getting lost in the crowd. I was captivated by everything about F&M, from their identity as the ‘Diplomats’ [the nickname for their teams]." Hence, he arrived in Lancaster, joining a freshman class with only a handful of black males. He graduated in 1995 and later obtained a Ph.D. from Princeton University while staying connected with Franklin & Marshall.
Several years later, Butler received a phone call from a friend informing him about a report from the Institute for College Access & Success. The report ranked F&M as one of the top 10 colleges in the country with the least socioeconomic diversity. Concerned about the negative implications, Butler decided to reach out to F&M leaders to express his disapproval.
This initiated a series of open discussions among F&M’s leadership. They recognized that the high tuition fees (close to $70,000 including room and board) made it difficult to attract students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Additionally, F&M was facing competition from numerous small colleges for the limited number of families who could afford the full cost of attendance. They questioned how long this could be sustained and acknowledged that the lack of racial and socioeconomic diversity would diminish the college’s appeal. Realizing the need for a new strategy, the college’s board of trustees began the search for a new president who could help them achieve their vision. Dan Porterfield, then working at Georgetown University as a senior vice president for strategic development and actively engaging with first-generation students, emerged as the leading candidate.
Butler recalls watching the announcement of Porterfield’s appointment and being intrigued by the possibilities. After about a year, Butler received a call from a prominent F&M dean seeking his input on developing the new vision, particularly transforming the career services office into a student development office. Recognizing the merit of this idea, Butler then received another call from the college dean suggesting he meet with Dan Porterfield during homecoming. Although Butler initially planned for a brief meeting, it turned into a lengthy discussion with Porterfield’s staff urging him to leave. Notwithstanding the late hour, Porterfield reached out to Butler once again in December 2011, requesting a conversation during his two-hour drive from Washington to Lancaster. They spent the entire time brainstorming ideas, running well past midnight.
Eventually, Porterfield and other key F&M deans persuaded Butler to return to campus to assist with the new diversity mission. Butler met with the college’s top leaders, expressing his concern about the conservative nature of the campus and ensuring that everyone was genuinely committed to the initiative. At the end of the day, he found himself face-to-face with Porterfield who presented a persuasive case, depicted through a visual representation of decision-making. Fully aware of the campus traditions, Butler insisted on meeting at least one trustee who wholeheartedly supported the cause. After this meeting, he was convinced and joined F&M as a senior associate dean overseeing the planning and analysis of student outcomes in the summer of 2012.
Together, Porterfield and Butler, with the support of many others, embarked on reshaping the campus through the Next Generation Initiative. They implemented numerous changes to attract more first-generation students, including partnerships with organizations like KIPP, Posse, and College Track. They also diverted their focus from "merit aid" (which often favors wealthier families) and engaged in substantial fundraising efforts specifically targeting first-generation students. As a result, the percentage of Pell Grant recipients among the freshman class increased from 5% in 2008 to 17% or higher since 2011. Furthermore, the college significantly increased its need-based financial aid, from $5.8 million for the 2008 class to $13 million for the incoming class of 2014.
To offset these investments, F&M decided to increase enrollment and brought in more revenue. Enrollment grew from 2,100 to 2,300 students between 2009 and 2011. They also made the decision to discontinue certain programs, such as sending a group of students and a professor to France annually. Additionally, F&M introduced new programs, like F&M College Prep, a three-week program for rising high school seniors, providing them with college-level coursework and projects. This program helps expose first-generation students, many of whom come from urban charter schools, to the rigor and culture of college life. To ensure a steady stream of college-ready first-generation students, F&M formed partnerships with leading charter school networks and advocacy groups that support low-income students in their journey to and through college.
Addressing the issue of being the only black person in class… [This sentence seems to be incomplete and unrelated to the previous text. Could you please provide more context or clarification?]
"It was incredibly overwhelming to attend classes on the first day, and even throughout the first week, and return with the realization that I was the only black individual in that particular class for the entire week."
– Charisma Lambert, graduate of Franklin & Marshall College
Lambert attended Newark Public Schools until sixth grade. In fifth grade, one of her teachers left for North Star Academy, and Lambert’s aunt made sure she received a pamphlet about the well-known charter school. They applied, and after a short time on the waiting list, Lambert began attending school there.
"I felt completely overwhelmed during that first week," Lambert recalled, expressing her desire to go back to her previous school. "In the past, I could get by with doing the bare minimum, not studying and still passing. But at North Star, I realized I had to study." However, as time went on, she became more comfortable with the challenge. By the time she graduated, she had achieved a nearly perfect GPA and had various college options. Lambert ultimately chose Franklin & Marshall College because she had attended their three-week College Prep program. Additionally, she had been influenced by her high school’s emphasis on the benefits of attending liberal arts colleges. This perspective is commonly shared among top charter schools, where college advisers actively seek out smaller colleges that can provide personalized attention to their graduates, increasing their chances of earning degrees.
Despite participating in the F&M summer program, Lambert still experienced a shock when she started her freshman year. The class of 620 students was significantly less diverse than the College Prep session she had attended. Lambert reflected, "It was very overwhelming to attend classes on the first day, and even throughout the first week, and come back with the realization that I was the only black individual in that class for the entire week."
It was only during her junior and senior years, when Lambert took on leadership roles in various clubs, that she started to have more interactions with her predominantly affluent white classmates. However, even those interactions could be strained. During a class discussion about campus unrest at the University of Missouri, Lambert noticed that she and two other black students were the ones doing all the talking. When the professor urged the other students to contribute, one white female student responded, "I don’t want to say anything wrong." Another student added, "I just don’t feel like it’s my place to speak about this." This frustrated Lambert, who believed that everyone should speak up and share their perspectives to understand each other’s lived experiences.
Nevertheless, Lambert acknowledges that her campus is more diverse than other private liberal arts colleges. She also appreciates the support she received throughout her college journey. She had four different advisers looking after her, two from North Star Academy and two from Franklin & Marshall College. The North Star counselors, who visited the campus once a semester during her first two years, were particularly helpful in managing logistical challenges such as GPAs and ensuring she remained on track to graduate in four years. Additionally, her upper-class student adviser provided guidance on social issues.
In the end, all the support paid off as Lambert successfully graduated in four years. She now works at a KIPP charter school in Baltimore through the Teach for America program.
"A chance to live that dream"
Porterfield’s talent strategy has led to significant changes at Franklin & Marshall College. The proportion of students eligible for Pell Grants has increased considerably. According to F&M, approximately 23% of the class of 2020 consists of students of color, compared to only 11% in the class of 2012. Despite these shifts, the average SAT scores have remained consistent, and F&M has become more selective. The college also states that students receiving need-based aid graduate at the same rate as other students and achieve matching or higher GPAs.
As my interview time with Porterfield came to an end, his aides arrived to remind him of his next appointment. I turned off my recorder and began to pack up. However, Porterfield wasn’t finished. He had more stories to share with me, personal anecdotes of about a dozen first-generation students who had found their way to Franklin & Marshall College.
Having shared numerous stories of success, Porterfield concluded by stating that America and education are fundamentally about giving people from different communities the opportunity to shape the country and contribute to a robust national future, united inclusively and creatively. It’s a chance to live the American dream. This is why Porterfield has become one of the key leaders in the movement to improve college success rates for first-generation students. To him, this cause is not just a cause; it represents the narrative of America.
Franklin & Marshall College is not alone in its efforts to support and ensure the graduation of first-generation students. In the following section, I will explain what UCLA is doing through an ambitious program to attract promising transfer students from community colleges in California. What sets Franklin & Marshall apart is that it has given a voice to the movement for college success, embodied by Dan Porterfield.
This excerpt is taken from Richard Whitmire’s new book, "The B.A. Breakthrough: How Ending Diploma Disparities Can Change the Face of America." To explore more excerpts, profiles, commentaries, videos, and additional information related to the book, please visit The74Million.org/Breakthrough.
Please note that The Walton Family Foundation provided funding for a writing fellowship that contributed to the creation of "The B.A. Breakthrough" and also offers financial support to . Furthermore, Stephen Cockrell, CEO of , worked as the director of external impact for the KIPP Foundation from 2015 to 2019 but was not involved in the reporting or editing of this story.
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