Make universities more accessible to first-generation academics

Universities can be intimidating workplaces for those not familiar with its rules, hierarchy and career opportunities. That is the experience of many first-generation academics, i.e. academics whose parents did not attend university and who therefore often start their career at a disadvantage compared to their peers. At the same time, their background gives them valuable skills and outlooks that are important to the academic community and should be retained.

Research has largely neglected first-generation academics as an object of study. That is why The Young Academy has collected their stories and published them in the report First but not least. Experiences of first-generation academics in the Netherlands. Its findings show that their background played an important role in their careers: they faced uncertainty, low expectations and in some cases even discrimination. But these experiences also motivated them, taught them to persevere, and made them even more driven to engage with society.

Recommendations

Starting a conversation about 'first-generation academics' will make the academic world more accessible and promote equal opportunity. The following six recommendations, meant for Dutch universities and funding bodies, can make a difference:

• Make implicit rules explicit. Ensure that everyone has access to the same information.
• Diversify university boards and assessment committees. Take advantage of the knowledge and experience of first-generation academics.
• Encourage mentoring for early-career academics. A mentor can provide information, create opportunities, and inspire mentees to take the next step in their career.
• Support grassroots initiatives for first-generation academics. For example staff-initiated mentoring programmes or first-generation funds.
• Showcase role models. That will give staff, students and even children a more inclusive image of academia and academics.
• Recognise and reward the skills and outlooks of first-generation academics. Shift the emphasis from self-promotion to other qualities, such as humility, perseverance and engagement with society.

About First but not least

The Young Academy spoke to fifteen first-generation academics for this report. A first-generation academic is a university researcher or lecturer whose parents did not obtain a university degree. In selecting the interviewees, The Young Academy strove to assemble a diverse sample of academics.