OSU Study to Assist Foster Alumni College Students

Friday, January 10, 2014

A collaboration of higher education professionals, community members and foster alumni college students is working toward increased understanding and support for former foster youth attending Oklahoma colleges or universities.

The group is encouraging individuals who were in foster care at age 13 or after in any state and are currently enrolled at or have graduated from an Oklahoma college or university to register online for the statewide network at http://education.okstate.edu/risforthursday.

Led by Dr. Kerri Kearney, associate professor in higher education at Oklahoma State University, and Ph.D. students Toni Hail and Lisa Will, the effort is called “R is for Thursday,” pulling its name from the use of “R” to signify Thursday on college course schedules. The study is designed to explore the transition experience of the foster alumni students in Oklahoma in an effort to better understand the experiences of these students and potentially identify strategies to assist persistence to graduation. 

“Former foster youth in college are, in general, an amazingly resilient population,” Kearney said. “Nationally only two to six percent of former foster youth gain college degrees. While many Oklahoma campuses have the support services needed by foster alumni, the students are mostly unidentified and do not have either the knowledge or the desire to seek help from ‘the system.’ We are seeking to change the relationship between foster alumni college students and Oklahoma institutions."

Even early in the process, the study is producing positive results.

“There has been a wonderful response thus far, and initial direct services to students are unfolding at several Oklahoma campuses,” Kearney added. “What makes Oklahoma’s effort different from that of other colleges in the nation is that we are working as a statewide system. While recognizing that every campus must respond with its unique capabilities, we are sharing best practices and collaborating statewide; also Oklahoma's effort is unique in that it is being led by, and continuously supported by, research that includes the students themselves.”

All interested parties are invited to attend the second annual statewide meeting on June 5, 2014, at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Contact information for RisforThursday advocates at Oklahoma campuses (the statewide network) may also be found at http://education.okstate.edu/risforthursday. Friends and supporters may join the public Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Risforthursday.public or email risforthursday@okstate.edu to receive direct email updates.