In higher education, students who withdraw from college before graduating face and trigger a number of undesirable consequences, such as difficulty finding professional employment, risking default on student loans, causing loss of potential revenue to academic institutions, and yielding a negative return on society's expenditures for college tuition programs. The purpose of this correlational quantitative study was to examine the role of faculty validations, from the perception of online students, in influencing students' sense of academic integration and their intent to persist in online programs. The aim of the study was to incorporate its findings into the design and creation of faculty development programs. Data about online students' perception of faculty validation, sense of academic integration, and intent to persist were collected from online students at a college in the Midwest, using an online survey. The study found a strong positive correlation between faculty validation and sense of academic integration, between faculty validation and students' intent to persist, and between students' sense of academic integration and intent to persist. Furthermore, faculty validation was found to be a moderate predictor of students' sense of academic integration and a modest predictor of students' intent to persist, while students' sense of academic integration was found to be a moderate predictor of students' intent to persist. Faculty interactions that show faculty interest in students' learning and success has the biggest potential in influencing students' intent to persist, followed by interactions that lead to students feeling encouraged, and interactions that appertain mentoring. Leaders in higher education must provide a supportive environment wherein faculty can engage in student validation and thus potentially improve student persistence. A research that includes students from various institutions may offer better generalization. [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.]