This study evaluates if persistence and completion rates increased after (a) establishing a centralized advising center for entering freshmen, (b) developing a mandatory new student orientation program, and (c) revising the curriculum for the college's student success course. For this study, persistence is defined as the percentage of first-time freshmen that attended the College for the first time during fall and enrolled during the subsequent spring semester. Course success rates are calculated as the percentage of attempted courses completed with a grade of C or better during the students' first academic semester. To evaluate student success, the researcher used a mixed method research design. Fall to spring persistence rates and course completion rates were evaluated using a chi-square test at a 0.05 alpha level. In addition, students, faculty, and staff participated in online surveys to gauge perceptions of the three new initiatives. The researcher used a chi-square test to evaluate the Likert scale data results. For comparison purposes, a theoretical control group was used to determine if a difference exists in the distribution of responses. Open-ended questions were evaluated using qualitative analysis. Based on data collected at Rural College, the overall results of the study demonstrate some positive effects. While not significant based on a chi-square test statistic, overall persistence rates for the cohort of students increased seven percent. On the other hand, the findings from this study conclude students who participated in the three initiatives were significantly more likely to complete courses with a C or better when compared to their peers. Findings from the survey results demonstrate faculty and staff agree that the various components of the new program are meeting their intended outcomes. On the other hand, findings from the student survey provide enough evidence to declare a significant difference between student perceptions and the theoretical control group when asked the following paraphrased statements, (a) an academic advisor demonstrated interest in my academic success, (b) the student success course helped me build relationships with faculty and staff, and (c) the New Student Orientation program helped me locate campus buildings and classrooms. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]