The Datha & Gene Smith Fellows Program Opens Doors to Education

Datha and Gene Smith didn’t experience college. But they understood, perhaps better than most, what it could mean for someone who did. All three of their children earned college degrees from Fairmont State – a source of pride for a Marion County family that believed deeply in the power of education.
 
In 2021, the Smith children, through their family foundation, committed funds to establish the Datha & Gene Smith Fellows Program at Fairmont State University. This comprehensive fellowship is designed to support first-generation college students from the moment they step on campus through every year that follows.

As Vice President for Student Affairs at Fairmont State University, Dr. Janna Bredeson sees firsthand the impact that mentorship, belonging, and sustained support can have on first-generation students.

“First-generation students bring incredible resilience, determination, and potential to our campus, but many arrive without the roadmap that others may take for granted. At a regional institution like Fairmont State, programs like the Datha & Gene Smith Fellows Program are transformational because they create both access and belonging,” Bredeson explained. “We are deeply grateful to the Smith family for their continued investment in our students and their belief in the power of higher education to change lives for generations. As the program continues to grow, we are excited to expand leadership development, peer mentoring, and career readiness opportunities that will help our fellows thrive both at Fairmont State and beyond.”

The program is more than a scholarship. This distinction matters. Where scholarships provide a financial boost, the Datha & Gene Smith Fellows Program wraps students in sustained, four-year support. It is financial assistance paired with mentoring, academic resources, cultural experiences, and a dedicated coordinator who serves as advocate and connector for every year of a student’s college career.

The program coordinator is Lauren Pearson, and her approach to the role is as personal as it is practical. “A lot of students are afraid to talk to their advisors or financial aid,” she explains. “I become their middle person. And a lot of times, I’ll walk them to whoever they need to talk to, because it can be scary to navigate a college campus without any baseline for what to expect.”

Fairmont State’s student body reflects the reality of the region: many are from rural West Virginia communities where the path to and through college is not well mapped. When students arrive uncertain of what FAFSA means, unsure how to read a course schedule, or simply not knowing that they are, by definition, a “first-generation” student at all, Pearson meets them exactly where they are.

The program begins before orientation, before roommates arrive, before the noise of a new semester sets in. Each summer, a cohort of incoming fellows arrives on campus four to five days early for the Bridge Program. Participants are selected by a committee, and applicants must be first-generation college students from West Virginia with at least a 2.5 grade point average.

The week is intentionally immersive. Fellows tour campus, explore university technology platforms, meet advisors and support staff, and move through orientation. But they do it as a small, close-knit group, with the full attention of program staff. Last year, that included a whitewater rafting excursion to the New River Gorge, an experience many fellows had never had.

Upon returning to campus, “they ended up playing ultimate Frisbee on the quad on their own,” Pearson recalls with a smile, describing an evening during bridge week when the structured activities gave way to something better. “It wasn’t something we’d planned. It just happened. They had bonded. From that point on, they were united.”

That sense of belonging, forged before the broader campus population arrives, is among the program’s most powerful and intentional gifts. First-generation students often report feeling like outsiders in a place where others seem to know all the unspoken rules. The Bridge program resets that experience from day one.

Program requirements keep fellows engaged and supported throughout the academic year. Each student meets one-on-one with Pearson monthly, participates in a group activity each month – ranging from athletic events to campus programming to community service – and attends monthly study sessions at the Datha & Gene Smith LEAD Center, where tutors in a variety of disciplines are available.

The program’s impact extends beyond its formal structure. Pearson’s office has become an open door for fellows and their friends alike. “Students are now bringing their friends in,” she says. “I’ve become kind of their go-to person.”

In the program’s next phase, fellows who have completed their first year will step into peer mentor roles, leading study hall check-ins, managing social media, and offering the kind of support that can only come from someone who has walked the same path. 

Year two becomes an opportunity to give back while building professional and leadership skills of their own. As fellows advance, the program advances with them. Resume workshops and career exploration are already part of the curriculum. Internship preparation is on the horizon for upperclassmen, and a travel experience is envisioned for year-three students.

What Datha and Gene Smith built, born of quiet generosity and carried forward by their family’s continued commitment, is not merely a program. It is an infrastructure of belonging for students who arrive at Fairmont State carrying ambition and potential but without the roadmap that so many of their peers may take for granted.

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