At Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) in New York, the student body is 55% Black, 29% Hispanic, 7% Asian, and 9% White and other ethnic groups. Placement testing indicates that 70% of entering freshmen require some form of remediation. As part of BMCC's efforts to improve first-year retention rates, students requiring remediation have…

During 1987-88, Manor Junior College, in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, developed a semester-long freshman seminar designed to help students understand the college system, to strengthen students' identification with their vocational program and career choice, and to improve students' academic competencies and confidence in their ability to achieve…

An orientation and peer helper program was developed at a public middle school in a rural community to reduce the problems associated with sixth-grade students transferring into the school during the school year. Transfer students and their parents or guardians were provided with a video and brochure that explained the school's services, programs,…

Student recruitment and retention at small colleges are considered, and Brunswick Foundation's Small College Program is described. An overview considers problems of small colleges (those with enrollments of 2,000 and less), and the Foundations's approach to meeting the needs of small colleges. The Foundation's Small College Program, which provides…

Issues in distance education at the tertiary level in Australia are addressed in three papers. The need to provide mature students with information before course attendance is discussed by Edward R. Reid-Smith in "Why Educational Advisory Services for Mature Students?" During 1982-1984, new external students at Riverina College of…

A facilitator's manual for the Summer Transition Enrichment Program at Bowling Green State University is presented. The overall objectives of the program are: (1) to facilitate the transition of entering freshmen into the academic and cultural life of the university; and (2) to assist students in their personal growth and adjustment to the…

In Fall 1981, a Chancellor's Counseling Advisory Committee was formed in the Los Angeles Community College District to analyze current counseling practices and, with the help of a counseling consultant, make recommendations for improvement. This report first presents summaries of the Committee's deliberations and their recommendations, which were…

Three types of workshops dealing with racism and sexism were conducted for 1900 incoming university freshmen as part of their orientation program. The methods were a structured discussion model developed by Sedlacek and Brooks (1976), a Starpower simulation workshop, and a movie discussion group. Students were randomly assigned to one of the three…

PROPOSED IS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SIX EXPERIMENTAL CENTERS IN MILWAUKEE TO WHICH IN-MIGRANT CHILDREN WOULD BE REFERRED WHEN APPLYING FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL ADMISSION. BECAUSE THE SCHOOLS FACE SO MANY PROBLEMS IN PROPERLY PLACING THESE CHILDREN, INITIAL ENTRY INTO AN ORIENTATION CENTER WHICH WOULD STUDY, TEST, AND OFFER REMEDIATION WHEN NECESSARY SEEMS…

Developmental steps to writing life experience units for the educable retarded are outlined and six units are partially completed. Objectives of the unit, sub-units, core activities, resource materials, vocabulary words, and lesson plans are provided for primary units on school orientation and clothing, intermediate units on grooming and taking a…

Questionnaires examined perceptions of Victoria parents (178); principals (36); K,1,3,4 teachers (186) about children's orientation to kindergarten and K-1 and 3-4 transitions. Results cover initial adjustment to school, orientation programs, difficulty making transitions, reasons for difficulty, K-1 transition classes, shortened kindergarten days…

The primary purpose of "National CrossTalk" is to stimulate informed discussion and debate of higher education issues. This issue contains the following articles: (1) Code of Conduct: Air Force Academy Adopts Changes in Response to 2003 Sexual Assault Scandal (Kathy Witkowsky); (2) Political Football: Partisan Politics Could Determine…

A study examined rural Australian student experiences of the transition to high school. Data were gathered from interviews, questionnaires, and student journals of 10 rural students during the last 5 weeks of primary school and during the first three terms of Year 7 in high school. Findings indicate that students had many anxieties related to the…

Analysis of data from 5 years shows that students enrolled in the Dalton Junior College (Georgia) first-year seminar, although similar to a comparison group in age, sex, standardized entrance test scores, degree objectives, and group grade point average, attempted more course hours, showed a higher retention rate, completed more hours, and had a…

A study investigated the cost effectiveness of a Seton Hall University (New Jersey) freshman studies program designed to improve retention, stabilize enrollments, and enrich campus life. Data were analyzed from short- and long-term perspectives. Results indicate that, despite increasing costs, the program is a cost-effective approach to student…