A new study found that negative academic events — such as a poor grade — disproportionately derail first‑generation college students, increasing their risk of stop‑out or dropout. Researchers highlighted the need for early academic intervention, targeted advising and grade‑recovery opportunities. Inside Higher Ed’s survey of student‑success leaders shows executives are confident about institutional priorities but worry about gaps in evidence‑based practice: many report limited adoption of high‑impact teaching, weak use of student‑success data, and inadequate preparation around generative AI ethics. Student success administrators called for clearer cost transparency, stronger experiential learning pipelines and policies that help students understand the ethical and practical use of AI in coursework. Clarification: “First‑generation” students are those whose parents did not complete a bachelor’s degree.