A consortium program of eight private colleges in Southern California that focuses on student retention efforts is described. Each college has a retention task force consisting of faculty, administrators, student affairs staff, and students. A steering committee with one representative from each college, generally the dean of students, coordinates consortium activities. The consortium activities focus on four areas: data collection, organizational development, program development, and networking. The colleges are currently collecting data concerning the financial consequences of attrition, the characteristics of dropouts, and their reasons for leaving. One major source of student data is the Cooperative Institutional Research Program findings, which help to monitor local changes in the goals, interests, and experiences of entering students and which can be used for assessing the past and planning for the future. The consortium colleges also are planning special surveys of current and former students as part of their effort to assess the causes and consequences of attrition. The willingness of both institutions and individuals to use information to improve student retention is important. Efforts are being undertaken to help faculty and departments learn how to make improvements based on the student retention data. Another goal is to use the student data to develop a comprehensive set of interventions to attack the attrition problems, and to make adjustments once the interventions are operative, based on both national and campus-based research. The consortium provides a structure for contact and sharing of ideas and program results. The participating colleges are: Azusa Pacific College, Chapman College, Harvey Mudd College, Loyola Marymount University, Mount St. Mary's College, Pitzer College, Scripps College, and Whittier College. (SW)