When President Barack Obama took office, he pledged to revitalize an economy in the midst of the deepest recession in a generation. Working with Congress, he acted quickly to enact an $878 billion package to stimulate the economy in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). More than $100 billion of that will be for education, spanning…

When asked to identify the greatest challenge he faces as the leader of the country's largest system of higher education, the author, a chancellor of California State University, states that the challenge is the urgent need to reach students from traditionally underserved populations--to prepare them and get them into college and then to make sure…

The use of "academic forgiveness," which allows students to be considered for readmission or graduation to college, is discussed, with attention to the procedures used by nine state colleges in New Jersey. The student is allowed an opportunity for low grades or other evaluations to be removed, under certain conditions, from grade point…

Michael Hovland, the senior consultant at Noel-Levitz Centers, responds to questions about summer bridge programs, first-year seminar programs, Rutgers' retention model, faculty reactions to retention programs, the impact of retention programs on institutional mission, administrative involvement in retention, student assessment, retention efforts…

Small rural social systems tend to have great impact on the social behavior and performance of rural youth in higher education. The issue is the degree to which rural youth from a social environment requiring active and continuous social involvement can exist in a larger social system which may require more passive and observational modes of…

The reasons for the phenomenon of guaranteed graduation are considered, as are criticisms of this approach. Guaranteed graduation programs have resulted in part as a result of an attempt to address issues and concerns about the cost of a college education, articulation of coursework, time to degree, and competency. While guarantees are designed to…

Issues concerning participation by minority groups in higher education in the United States are considered, along with some criticisms of higher education concerning: the substance and style of undergraduate education; efficiency and cost of college; a confusion of aims, missions, and goals among colleges and universities; and access, choice, and…

The interrelation of enrollment, marketing, and retention, and implications for enrollment management planning at the postsecondary level are considered. Factors that will likely affect enrollment in the 1980s include sources of support for private institutions; increased federal controls, including legislation for veterans and financial aid; and…

Ways that states can help improve the academic achievement of minority college students are recommended by the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEOs) Task Force on Minority Student Achievement. Current concerns regarding minority representation in college and minority student achievement are outlined, and implications in the context of…

Declines in high school and college attendance and completion for blacks, factors that contribute to this decline, and strategies for improvement are addressed by the Chancellor of the State University of New York. Black youth attend college disproportionate to their representation in the population, in large part because of the high school…

The need to examine college student attrition as an approach to the expected demographic decline in the 1980s, and case studies that demonstrate retention improvement and successful techniques are considered. Information is presented on the progress of typical freshmen (graduates, transfers, and dropouts) and patterns of interrupting studies.…