Marc Lo, an administrator at Brown University, will be the inaugural executive director of the Penn First Plus Office. He officially will take on the post Jan. 1, 2019.
Provost Wendell Pritchett announced the appointment in an email on Friday morning. Established in May 2018, the Penn First Plus Office aims to improve the experience of first-generation, low-income students at Penn, as administrators look to accommodate the school's biggest-ever FGLI class.
Pritchett wrote that he and Penn President Amy Gutmann established the office "to offer a hub of resources, support, and community for undergraduate students from first-generation and/or low-income backgrounds."
Lo was a first-generation, low-income student during his undergraduate years at Northeastern University, Pritchett wrote in the email, and went on to earn his master's degree in higher education and his Ph.D. in higher and post secondary education, according to his LinkedIn.
He is currently the assistant director for Assessment and Evaluation at the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning at Brown University.
In his role as Executive Director, Lo will create new programs, connect the Office with teachers and alumni, and develop a "strategic vision" to achieve Penn First Plus' goals, according to the email. In addition, he will emphasize partnerships with Penn's cultural centers as well as coordinate efforts with the Admissions and Student Financial Services offices.
Friday's announcement comes amid Penn's increased push to bolster services offered to its FGLI community.
After the creation of the Penn First Plus Office in May, the University appointed the Office's first two faculty directors to oversee the program in August.
A month later, Penn First Plus co-sponsored an event that provided subsidized passports to FGLI students interested in studying abroad.
In the closing lines of the announcement, Pritchett expressed his confidence that Lo will "provide outstanding leadership for these significant new initiatives."
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