Slippery Rock University is one of six state system schools participating in a program meant to help first-generation and low-income students transition from their first to second year of college, a point where those students are most likely to drop out.

The six member schools of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education launched the MAPS program — Mastering Academic and Professional Systems — with a two year, $250,000 grant from the Posner Foundation of Pittsburgh, a philanthropic organization that invests in solutions for social in economic challenges.

“Succeeding in college requires more than passing courses. Students must understand financial aid, advising, registration and campus life. For students who are the first in their families to attend college, navigating these systems can be challenging,” a PASSHE news release said.

According to PASSHE, roughly 80% of its students return for their second year.

MAPS, according to the schools, aims to strengthen that student retention number by providing additional support to first-year students.

“Students do their best work when they are not left guessing. We want every student, in and out of the classroom, to have the information and support they need to focus on learning, finishing their degree and preparing for what comes next. Programs like this help our students to get the support they need,” PASSHE chancellor Christopher Fiorentino said in the release.

Each participating university will enroll a cohort of 12 first-year students — 72 students across the six campuses — into a structured, yearlong program “of monthly cohort meetings, faculty and staff mentoring, financial-navigation coaching (including FAFSA renewal) and experiential activities that connect students to campus resources.”

Other universities participating are Indiana University of Pennsylvania, PennWest University, Shippensburg University, Millersville Univesity and East Stroudsburg University.

“Every student who stays enrolled and earns a degree is a nurse, an engineer, a teacher or an entrepreneur that Pennsylvania’s economy needs. The first year is where we lose too many of them,” said PASSHE Foundation CEO Shelley Scherer. “MAPS keeps first-generation and low-income students on track to finish — and when they finish, they stay, work and build careers in the communities and industries that depend on them.

“That’s a direct investment in Pennsylvania’s workforce and its future.”