Kessler Scholars Collaborative

The Kessler Scholars Collaborative is an initiative of the Judy and Fred Wilpon Family Foundation intended to promote success for first-generation college students nationwide. The Collaborative supports and connects Kessler Scholars Programs at Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, Queens College, St. Francis College (McGuire Scholars), Syracuse University, and the University of Michigan, where the first Kessler Scholars Program was established. In fall 2023, the Collaborative will launch new programs at 10 institutions in a partnership with the American Talent Initiative and Bloomberg Philanthropies. Our new partner campuses are Bates College, Brown University, Centre College, Saint Mary's College (IN), The Ohio State University, University of California at Riverside, University of Dayton, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Pittsburgh, and Washington University in St. Louis. The institutions and professional staff working together through the Kessler Scholars Collaborative are dedicated to supporting students who are the first in their families to pursue a four-year college degree. Our cohort-based program model provides financial, academic, professional, and personal support to help first-generation college students thrive across their undergraduate experience.