Indicators of persistence of nontraditional students at a large commuter state university were studied, and the literature on persistence was reviewed. The literature review covered student variables affecting retention rates, ethnic status and retention, institutional variables affecting persistence, and theoretical models that explain…

Institutional bonding was examined at a public, urban commuter college with exceptionally high attrition and visibly low morale. Changes in bonding and attrition were measured 6 years after a 2-year effort to develop school identity and student feelings of membership. It was found that a simple index of campus morale is provided by level of…

Papers presented include: "Hope, History, and Higher Education in the South," (James H. Smylie, response by Samuel S. Hill, Jr.); "Current Strategies: An Exploration and Evaluation," (Robert L. Wilson, response by Clyde O. Robinson, Jr.); "Trends in Higher Education: A Look to the Future," (Anne Flowers, response by…

In 1981, a study of the costs to students of commuting to community colleges in Illinois was conducted as an aid to analyzing student financial need policies, to helping students make informed decisions about college attendance, and to analyzing tuition policies related to student costs. A survey instrument was administered to 2,847 students from…

Retention at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, was studied, based on the entire population of 29,372 undergraduate degree-seeking students enrolled in a semester between fall 1981 and 1987. Two measures of the retention rate are used: cohort survival, the percentage of the original cohort of entering students that is enrolled in or has…

As part of a multi-phase, multi-method study of the House Plan at Cypress College in California, this study surveyed three student populations as to various House Plan aspects. Questionnaires were given or mailed to 135 students attending graduation rehearsal in June 1976, 256 students eligible for graduation, and 280 alumni who graduated in June…

Youngstown State University is a predominantly commuter campus. A six-page questionnaire was sent to a random sample of 2,000 students in the fall 1976 focusing on attitudes and opinions concerning commuting and associated problems, activities, and student services. Specific areas surveyed include demographic data; general university programs,…

This study examined the effects of race on the experiences and outcomes of first-year students at York University (Ontario). Data were collected through a survey of 1,093 students at their time of entry in September 1992 and a survey of 1,129 students conducted in February-March of 1993. The study found that students' socioeconomic backgrounds…

Describes and evaluates eight elements of a comprehensive market-research program for commuter colleges: secondary research with formal environmental scanning, local business community-needs assessment; adult community-member telephone survey, classroom survey, new student survey, focus groups, brainstorming sessions, and survey of college…

The relationship between community college transfer students' experiences at an urban, doctoral-granting commuter university and their enrollment intentions was studied using Bean and Metzner's conceptual model of attrition for nontraditional students. Of 300 community college transfer students at a state-supported urban university who were…

Student departure is a long-standing problem to colleges and universities. Approximately 45 percent of students enrolled in two-year colleges depart during their first year, and approximately one out of four students departs from a four-year college or university. The authors advance a serious revision of Tinto's popular interactionalist theory to…

This study compared the experiences of first-year students in different disciplines at York University (Ontario). Surveys of 336 students in the faculty of pure and applied science, 802 students in the faculty of arts, and 793 students in Atkinson College, the evening college of the university, were conducted during February-March of the first…

This study examined the effects of race on first-year retention at York University (Ontario). Data were obtained from student surveys conducted in 1993, 1994, and 1995, involving a total of 1,864 first-year students, along with administrative records. The study found that the number of black students who left the university because of poor…

A study in one private residential and one public commuter liberal arts college compared these characteristics in students whose parents had not attended college with those whose parents had: social integration, academic integration, external support, institutional context, satisfaction with college, role embracement, academic rewards, and…

Creating a college culture that encourages cultural pluralism requires removal of barriers in the environment. Colleges must (1) not assume that students need to assimilate into their existing culture; (2) extend their geographic and social boundaries; (3) provide support systems; and (4) help faculty understand different culture-based student…