Retention research and action programs are reviewed, and findings from the 1979 national survey entitled "What Works in Student Retention" (WWISR) are examined. The WWISR survey was designed to identify, analyze, and compile information about campus efforts to improve student retention in higher education. Questionnaires on retention were analyzed…

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.…

To address the challenges created by increased student diversity, expanding enrollment, and shrinking budgets, Midlands Technical College, in South Carolina, designed a student success program in 1989 to enhance student retention, student satisfaction, and student goal achievement. Key components of the system include: (1) a year-to-year and…

A survey was conducted to obtain more reliable data on Native Americans in higher education and to ascertain the factor contributing to their success and failure in college. A questionnaire was mailed to 79 colleges and universities serving the largest percentage of Native Americans in the United States. A total of 33 valid responses were…

Glassboro State College (New Jersey) has developed an institution-wide comprehensive, coordinated program based on the concept of early provision of quality services and programs to provide students with positive linkages to the institution. Persistence to graduation is the long-term goal of the retention program. Additional goals include…

Results of participation in a Summer Bridge Program at the University of California, San Diego, in 1978 for 30 high-risk, minority group, and low-income students are discussed. The program is based on Tinto's (1975) theoretical synthesis of research on dropouts from higher education and is designed to increase a student's integration and…

Laney's Success Model for First-Year Students attempts to increase retention by accommodating students and encouraging learning. It requires an institutional commitment for student academic success and tries to dispel the forces of attrition: academic boredom, difficulty adjusting to college life, and academic underpreparedness. The first-year…

This report presents the findings for community colleges with twenty percent or more Black students enrolled that participated in ACT's 2010 "What Works in Student Retention survey." The report contains information pertinent to only these institutions. The following are appended: (1) Data for Two-Year Community Colleges with greater than or equal…

This report presents the findings for community colleges with twenty percent or more Hispanic students enrolled that participated in ACT's 2010 What Works in Student Retention survey. The report contains information pertinent to only these institutions. Appendices include: (1) Data for Community Colleges with greater than or equal to 20% Hispanic…

This report presents the findings for four year colleges and universities with twenty percent or more Black students enrolled that participated in ACT's 2010 What Works in Student Retention survey. The report contains information pertinent to only these institutions. Appendices include: (1) Data for Four Year Colleges and Universities with greater…

This report presents the findings for colleges and universities with twenty percent or more Hispanic students enrolled that participated in ACT's 2010 What Works in Student Retention survey. The report contains information pertinent to only these institutions. Appendices include: (1) Data for Four-Year Colleges/Universities with greater than or…

The College Discovery Prefreshman Summer Program (CDPSP) at New York's Bronx Community College is a 6-week summer bridge program providing minority and low-income students with career counseling, study skills, and intensive instruction in English, reading, and mathematics. To determine the effects of the program on participants' academic,…

College and university efforts to address minority students' needs are described. The Minority Achievement Program (MAP) provided grants to selected colleges to test a range of programs and services to help certain student groups succeed in achieving their educational goals. Descriptions of 10 selected projects are provided, along with information…

This report presents the findings for public four-year colleges and universities that participated in ACT's 2010 What Works in Student Retention survey. The report contains information pertinent to only these institutions. Appended are: (1) Data for Public Four-Year Colleges and Universities; and (2) What Works in Student Retention: Instrument.…

Focusing on community colleges' role in enrolling students for their first year of postsecondary education, this monograph provides 17 essays on characteristics, programs, and outcomes related to students' freshman year. The following essays are included: (1) "The Freshman Year Experience: A Philosophy for Higher Education in the New Millennium,"…