Describes the success of the Freshman Seminar Program at the University of South Carolina, designed to retain African-American students. Discusses the personal and social development needs of African-American students and how the Freshman Seminar contributes to their development. Presents data showing retention results. (MAB)

Proposes a role for institutional research in changing institutional attitudes about priority placed on student retention efforts. Identifies organizational/attitudinal barriers to improving student retention efforts relative to theory on stages of grief (denial, hostility, bargaining, depression, acceptance); outlines tactics for moving the…

Nearly one-quarter of students in community colleges leave school during the first year of enrollment for reasons other than transfer or credential completion. Generally, nontraditional community college students drop out within their first year at higher rates than do traditional students. Using data from Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges…

To obtain a quantitative meta-analysis of studies addressing the effects of community college Developmental Studies Programs (DSPs) on students enrolled in higher education, an analysis was undertaken of a sample of studies culled from journal articles, dissertations, unpublished works found in ERIC, and published and unpublished proceedings of…

The assessment of the institutional effectiveness of community colleges is illustrated through a description of the assessment program used by Johnson County Community College in Overland Park (Kansas). Emphasis is on measures of the degree to which students meet their educational objectives, identified through career, transfer, and…

A study was conducted to investigate the validity of Tinto's model of college withdrawal in a public four-year college and a private two-year institution. The model consists of six sets of variables in a causal sequence; i.e., background characteristics, initial goal and institutional commitment, academic and social integration, subsequent goal…

A longitudinal study was conducted at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) to compare the academic progress of 768 students who transferred to UIUC in Fall 1977 from public community colleges in Illinois; 676 students who transferred to UIUC in Fall 1977 from four-year colleges; and 4,220 native UIUC students who were enrolled as…

Factors that influenced the withdrawal of academically ineligible black students from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were investigated. It is suggested that students who involuntarily withdraw are rarely consulted as to their reasons for leaving and that academic ineligibility may mask many of the same reasons for withdrawing as…

Using data from an Australian longitudinal survey, a study investigated the relationship between part-time employment and the decisions to pursue higher education and to persist after the first year. Results show employment was not critical to persistence. However, employment during secondary school reduced the likelihood of college attendance for…

Describes Rutgers University's Gateway retention program which involves a number of academic departments in the development of retention programs. Highlights particular Gateway courses in the sciences, humanities, and social sciences. Discusses the benefits of faculty involvement and the importance of incentives for involvement. Reports a 90%…

Although attrition is repeatedly described as the number one problem in adult basic education (ABE), the raw numbers of attrition rates do not tell the whole story. Studies show noncompleters in both ABE and higher education sometimes leave when they feel their goals have been realized. Counting adults who "stop out" as dropouts is also…

This paper outlines results of three informal surveys identifying barriers that Native Americans face when trying to complete a college degree. For the first survey, 22 Native American students who had dropped out of Northern Arizona University indicated that family influences and responsibilities, lack of financial resources, campus attitudes…

A survey was conducted to evaluate nationally the retention of undergraduates at institutions of higher education. In particular the survey sought to: determine the rates at which full-time students persisted in and completed higher education; identify factors that institutional representatives felt influence students to leave school; and describe…

Black student attrition and its causes were studied at Indiana University. Approximately 60% of black students do not graduate within 5 years of their initial enrollment, in comparison with 40% of white students. A mail survey identified 48 institutional factors and asked students to respond to each was sent to all African American students who…

Examined the contributions of academic background, self- beliefs, and other factors toward predicting college withdrawal by late adolescents. Found that academic background and self-beliefs were significant predictors of withdrawal. Found that specific self-beliefs showed significant negative relationships with withdrawal. Noted that relationships…