Panther Partners

Panther Partners is a cohort experience program serving first-generation students at BMCC. The program provides support through mentorship/partnership, workshops, activities, special events, and community.

BMCC is dedicated to support and serve any student who self-identifies as a first-generation college student. A vital part of the Panther Partners program/community is the support of faculty, staff, and administrators, many of whom are first-generation college graduates themselves.

First-generation college student

First-generation college students come from families where neither parent or guardian has a two-year or higher degree from a college, university or other institution of higher education in the United States. Some students’ parents or guardians may have completed a degree in a country outside of the U.S.A. These students are still considered first-generation college students at BMCC and are welcome to apply to the program.

Benefits of being a Panther Partner

• Students are partnered with a professional BMCC staff or faculty member (Panther Coach), who in most cases is also the first in their family to attend college
• Opportunity to receive a tuition grant for one summer and/or winter course based on program participation
• Various incentives for completing program milestones (details will be provided to program participants).
• Receive exclusive invitations to attend workshops and events designed for the first-generation students
• Become a member of the Panther Partner community of over 400+ first-generation students and professionals at BMCC

Eligibility to participate in the program

• Registered first-year BMCC students who self-identify as first-generation college students are eligible for the program. Participants of the program are selected through an application process.
• To support as many first-generation college students as possible, students enrolled in the following programs will not be accepted into the Panther Partners Program: Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP), BMCC Learning Academy (BLA), College Discovery (CD), CUNYStart or Degree Under Three (DU3). This is to ensure that every first-generation college student at BMCC has the opportunity to engage in at least one cohort experience/program.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Panther Partners is for first-generation college students, what does that mean?
  First-generation college students come from families where neither parent or guardian has a two-year or higher degree from a college, university or other institution of higher education in the United States. Some students’ parents or guardians may have completed a degree in a country outside of the U.S.A. These students are still considered first-generation college students at BMCC and are welcome to apply to the program.
• If I am a member of College Discovery, ASAP, Learning Academy, Degree Under Three or any other special success program at BMCC, can I also be in Panther Partners?
  To support as many first-generation college students as possible, students enrolled in the following programs will not be accepted into the Panther Partners Program: Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP), BMCC Learning Academy (BLA), College Discovery (CD), CUNYStart or Degree Under Three (DU3). This is to ensure that every first-generation college student at BMCC has the opportunity to engage in at least one cohort experience/program.
• I heard Panther Partners is nationally recognized, what does that mean?
  The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) is a national organization that works with colleges and universities all over the country. NASPA created the Center for First-generation Student Success. The Center recognized BMCC as one of only a few community colleges in the country to be awarded First-Forward designation in 2019 as a member institution. Due largely to the success of Panther Partners, the Center invited BMCC to participate as an Advisory Institution to help other regional institutions better serve their first-generation college students. Overall, it is a pretty big deal because there are only 205 First-Forward institutions in the country and only 20 Advisory Institutions.

Join Panther Partners

Fill out this application to join us.