Blended learning, which combines online and face-to-face pedagogy, is a fast-growing mode of instruction as universities strive for equitable and alternative pathways to course enrollment, retention, and educational attainment. However, challenges to successfully implementing blended instruction are that "social presence," or students'…

The increased commitment to recruit and retain diverse students and faculty among higher education institutions calls for an examination of current and future needs with respect to campus climate and diversity. This qualitative study explored students' perceptions of connectedness with respect to the climate in relation to diversity in a College…

This study examined the effects of an introductory counseling course on retention rates of students at Western Kentucky University (WKU). Rates of graduation after 4, 5, and 6 years for 400 freshmen and 474 sophomores enrolled in an academic orientation and preparation course between 1990 and 1994 were compared with WKU and regional rates during…

This study examined retention at Christopher Newport University (CNU) in Newport News, Virginia, focusing on the demographic characteristics of those students who left the university as well as the reasons why they left. A total of 159 students who had attended CNU during the 1994-95 academic year but who did not re-enroll in the fall of 1995 were…

Rutgers University's response to a serious decline in the number of minority students enrolled at the undergraduate level is discussed, with attention to the background to the problem, the data employed to clarify the scope of the problem, and change strategies. Admissions and enrollment statistics in the first semesters after implementation of…

Logit analysis coupled with the BMDP4F computer program (Brown, 1983) was used to derive an appropriate model for the study of student retention and graduation. The model was then applied to graduate student retention and graduation data from the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP). Logit analysis is a method of determining what effects…

Institutional bonding was examined at a public, urban commuter college with exceptionally high attrition and visibly low morale. Changes in bonding and attrition were measured 6 years after a 2-year effort to develop school identity and student feelings of membership. It was found that a simple index of campus morale is provided by level of…

This paper presents the findings of a committee at the University of Maryland (College Park) charged with studying the effectiveness of programs on campus aimed at achieving higher rates of participation and success for black faculty. Fourteen sections present results of the committee's survey and interviews, examination of specific issues, and…

This report offers a consolidated systemwide analysis of key issues and recommendations for improvement of minority recruitment and retention at Arizona State Universities and an evaluation of progress toward achieving Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) approved recruitment and graduation goals. A description of ABOR system goals notes three goals:…

The Student Affirmative Action Program at California State University, Long Beach was designed to serve the needs of Latino students, an underrepresented population in higher education, and to help eliminate identified institutional barriers to their participation. Barriers include inadequate orientation and information, poor planning and academic…

This study explored the possibility of linking the Luna (1999) student flow matrix model with institutional planning at a comprehensive state institution, investigating how student flow environments were associated with student characteristics such as race, gender, citizenship, class level, entry type, and cumulative grade point average. The study…

This paper describes efforts by Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) to develop programs to serve the needs of first-year students, focusing on collaborative efforts across the university system to retain nontraditional and underrepresented students. The School of Liberal Arts Faculty Mentor Program links a first-year seminar…

The results of the 1980 Freshman Survey, which is part of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP), are summarized, and trend data concerning students enrolled in colleges in the western states and in the nation are examined. Among the findings of the 1980 Freshman Survey are the following: grade inflation in the nation's high schools…

A follow-up study of undergraduate student attrition at Indiana University is presented. It builds upon previous research on student attrition documenting high rates of attrition among Black and Hispanic undergraduates. It also builds upon the Conceptual Model of Black Student Attrition. One goal is to compare persisters and non-persisters within…

This study examined the characteristics of part-time students at the University of Calgary (Alberta, Canada) and Athabasca University (Alberta, Canada), an open admissions undergraduate distance education university. Also called adult students or non-traditional students, part-time students have been viewed as a homogenous group despite marked…