Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to study retention and first-semester grade point average at Boise State University (Idaho), a metropolitan university with many commuter students. The quantitative portion of the study was based on questionnaires completed by 235 freshmen; the qualitative part was based on interviews with a different, random group of 25 freshmen. It was found that first-term grade point average was the best predictor of persistence, and both approaches confirmed the importance of faculty contact
to early academic success. However, the qualitative study noted that students most in need of faculty contact often used poor grades as a reason not to talk to professors. Both measures also showed how self-reporting can lack accuracy: In the quantitative study, students with higher self-assessments of academic and psychological readiness for college were less likely to persist; in the qualitative study, students also did not always make accurate judgments about academic performance and chances for continuing. The quantitative study found no effects for age or having children or being employed, but the qualitative study showed some
effects for nontraditional students. It was concluded that diverse student bodies require a variety of approaches to best understand retention.

Used concepts from community psychology literature to elaborate a revised version of Tinto's model of individual student departure. Employed a longitudinal analysis of 718 college students. Results indicate that students' sense of community in their residence halls was a source of social integration and a precursor to student departure decisions.

Concern about retention and attrition rates in higher education have increased over the years and efforts to identify and treat potential dropouts have grown considerably. Studies investigating the retention and at trition of community college stu dents have found specific characteristics relate d to outcomes, including full- or part-time attendance, age, employ ment status, grade point average, being a member o f an ethnic minority other than Asian, family obligations, financial concerns, and gender. Since determining predictive characteristics can be difficult, intervention strategies represent an alternative way of approaching retention and attrition and may have greater impact in the long run. Strategies that are widely used and demonstrate the greatest impact include orientation programs, mentoring programs, and multiple strategy approaches combining various efforts. Studies have shown that completion of an orientation program promotes and improves student performance. Faculty and peer mentoring programs aim to improve teacher-student interaction through the use of guidebooks, workshops, tutorial programs, and other academic and social support strategies. Multiple strategy efforts in place at community colleges include the use of campus-wide handbooks of student retention strategies; women's centers to provide support to non-traditional, female students; freshman seminars to promote supportive relationships among students and student-faculty interaction; and the implementation of college funded work-study for on-campus employment.

In a study of the effectiveness of a faculty/student mentoring program at a large urban university, 339 undergraduate students assigned to mentors were matched with nonmentored students based on gender, ethnicity, grade point average (GPA), and entering enrollment status. Results showed a higher GPA, more units completed per semester, and lower dropout rate for mentored students.

A study examined the health service use of 5,088 West Virginia University freshmen and compared the use patterns of students who returned the next fall with those who did not return. Nonreturning students had a higher usage rate and were significantly different in the types of services needed. The influence of student health problems on attrition rate is considered.

Describes a study comparing the characteristics of college-ready and academically underprepared community college students. Reports that underprepared students demonstrated higher levels of test anxiety and a more external locus of control, but did not differ from college-ready students in self-esteem, grade point average, or
learning-study strategies.

A study was undertaken at the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) to understand why some at-risk students are able to beat the odds and achieve educational success while others are not. The theoretical underpinnings for this research draw from psychological, societal, and institution-specific models of student persistence. All 1996 CCP graduates were surveyed and asked if they ever considered dropping out of college.
About half returned surveys, and of the respondents, 27% had considered dropping out. A questionnaire explored personality traits, economic factors, and institutional experiences students perceived as affecting their progress towards graduation. Aspects of personality such as confidence, discipline, and perseverance, as well as encouragement of faculty and other students, greatly influenced degree completion. Discouraging
institutional experiences included rude treatment by staff, unavailability of courses, and ineffective course advisement. A focus group of 12 students discussed their personal experiences, citing positive in-classroom and out-of-classroom experiences with faculty as integral to their continued enrollment. Detrimental aspects included course-related difficulties and communication problems with faculty. Determination and external
factors such as family support also precluded degree completion. The majority of graduates had either obtained jobs or successfully transferred to other institutions of higher education.

A study tracked 3,192 University of Iowa freshmen through their first year and into their second year on campus. Logistic regression analyses using multiple data sources (admissions and registrar files, a standardized entrance test (the American College Testing Program Assessment) student profile section, an entering freshman survey) were conducted to determine models of student persistence at two points: freshman year spring re-enrollment and sophomore year fall re-enrollment. Two relatively successful models
for predicting sophomore persistence were derived, although both models predicted correctly rather small percentages of non-persisters. A followup study on the reasons given for withdrawal by false-positives in the model is recommended. For this sample, it was found that modeling persistence was related to college-level academic indicators; the only non-academic factor to enter the prediction equation was students' perceived
need for financial aid.

This study examined the effect of institutional size on the six year institutional graduation rate for undergraduates, controlling for five variables known to affect graduation rate: (1) student academic preparation; (2) enrollment to dormitory capacity ratio; (3) percentage of part-time students; (4) expenditure per student; and (5) student to faculty ratio. Institution size was defined as the number of headcount students enrolled in
the Fall semester of 1993. Data were gathered for 800 four-year postsecondary institutions from a variety of sources including the Integrated Postsecondary Education Survey (for headcount data) and several published national surveys of postsecondary institutions (for graduation rates, Scholastic Assessment Test scores, student-faculty ratios, and educational expense per student). Statistical analysis indicated that institutional size has a significant and negative influence on graduation rates. The state with three 10,000-student institutions can be expected to graduate 3 percent more students than the state having one 30,000-student institution. Application to the state plans of Florida and Pennsylvania suggest that nearly 1,000 fewer degrees can be expected in Florida than in Pennsylvania with $60 million of a $2 billion budget spent unproductively. Results have implications for the long range planning of state systems of higher education.

A study found that college freshmen (n=29) housed in a living and learning residence hall had higher grade point averages in all four semesters of their first 2 years of college, compared with those of a matched control group (n=55). The experimental group did not, however, have a higher retention rate.

Students and Teachers Achieving Results (STAR) is a student-centered learning project developed by Long Beach City College, in California, to increase the success and retention rates of underrepresented students. Through STAR, students are provided with a program of linked courses that develop communication skills, utilize interdisciplinary curricula and cooperative learning, facilitate faculty involvement, build self-esteem, and offer academic and social support. In the project, 400 letters were sent to students who had placed at the lowest level in reading and writing assessment processes, with 24 students enrolling in the project's 12 and one-half core units of basic skills courses. STAR was desig ned to create a learning community by developing the cohort of students and linking courses through the theme, "college succe ss for the basic skills student." In evaluating STAR, the college sought t o deter mine the factors influencing the student cohort, identify desired program outcomes, use quantitative and qualitative assessment methods, and develop a strategic action plan. The college determined that STAR had significantly improved reading and writing skills, advanced a larger number of underrepresented students to higher course levels than usual, improved retention, reduced the number of underrepresented students on academic probation, increased their completion ratio, and elevated self-esteem. Appendixes provide the STAR linked curriculum, a description of the basic skills and competencies emphasized in the project, and a learning communities action plan.

Provides insight into first-year undergraduate persistence by using behavioral measures--based on Alexander Astin's theory of involvement--to further understanding of Tinto's theory of student departure. Findings support the use of an integrated model in which student behaviors and perceptions interact to influence the development of academic and social integration.

Active between 1993 and 1996, the Promoting Academic Student Success (PASS) Program was aimed at reducing the high percentage of failure experienced by academic probation students at Corning Community College (New York). These students typically came from non supportive environments, possessed academic deficiencies, and suffered from feelings of alienation and hopelessness. Based on management by objectives
(MBO) methodology, the PASS program was devised to "save" students from academic oblivion and improve retention rates, thereby increasing revenue for the school. Students were assigned to groups of about fifteen, supervised by two leaders. Group meetings occurred at least once every two weeks. Constant contact with PASS staff, individual attention, and a sense of group commitment were emphasized. Students achieved self-command and a sense of personal control through training in time and money management, creative problem solving, study skills, and goal setting in a friendly, relaxed environment. Though the PASS program is now defunct, 32.4% of the participants are pending graduation compared to the national average graduation rate for
probationary students of 13%. Barriers to the program's success included lack of both faculty and financial support.

Institutional research at the University of California at Berkeley on graduate student attrition is discussed, focusing on when students in a given discipline are likely to leave a program and factors to which departments attribute attrition. Recommendations for increasing retention are offered, including institutional policies and strategies, work with departments, and work with students.

A study with 652 community college students investigated whether the relationship between intention to stay in or transfer from the institution and departure is moderated by semester grade point average, commitment, and encouragement to stay. Results show the interaction effects of intention by commitment, and intention by encouragement to stay, both contributed significantly to prediction of institutional departure.

Most of the literature on student retention focuses on what students do "wrong" that leads to departure from college, but there is much to be learned from studying student success in higher education. This article presents a study designed to uncover the strategies that successful minority students employ to overcome barriers to academic success by using an innovative technique that assesses the informal knowledge required to achieve success in higher education. Each study began with an empty data matrix that was
gradually filled as data were collected. The filled matrix then became a qualitative data set that was used to become a concept model for understanding the phenomenon under study. Three groups of 5 to 10 academically successful ethnic minority students each completed the matrix. Analysis of the data indicated that students faced barriers related to the continuity between high school and college, prejudice, and lack of resources. Successful minority students overcame barriers by creating a supportive "family" on
campus or by involving their biological families in the collegiate experience, participating in ethnic activities, seeking out nurturing persons, and using institutional resources. Findings are discussed in the context of the expertise model of success and a local model of heuristic knowledge associated with this specific campus.

This document contains abstracts of the 82 concurrent session presentations at a 1996 conference on the experience of college freshmen regarding their academic achievement, attitudes, and re-enrollment for the following year. Each abstract is designed to give a succinct statement of each concurrent session presentation and to provide a name, address, and telephone number of a contact person. The topics covered in these papers include the following: discovery learning, academic advising, research strategies,
acculturation, mentoring, differences in expectations between lecturers and freshmen, student financial need, workshops, writing activities, racial and ethnic tensions, math instruction, academic standards, teaching methods, student viewpoints on learning, programs for traditional and non-traditional students, introductory economics, retention strategy, academic and recreational seminars, preservice teacher induction, the urban
college experience, independent study, native students, exchange students, probation, student adjustment, supplemental instruction, writing fellows' programs, commuter colleges, developing an undergraduate core program, survival tactics, service-learning, library skills, peer counseling, writing across the curriculum, student government, class environment, confrontation skills, teacher effectiveness, educational outcomes, study strategies, freshman seminars, student identity, fostering community, the challenges of
diversity, integrating the cognitive and the affective, open access, multiculturalism, social responsibility, disabled students, and Freshman English.

The effects of financial aid on persistence to Bachelor's degree were studied using data from the national longitudinal Beginning Postsecondary Student Survey for 1989-90 freshmen. The subsample of 3,188 students were enrolled full-time in four-year institutions; persistence was defined as attainment of the Bachelor's degree from the institution in which the student initially enrolled within 5 years. Descriptive statistics and
path analysis were employed to examine the influence of different amounts, types (loans, grants, and/or work study), and combinations of financial aid. Findings suggest that receiving financial aid is not directly related to completing a Bachelor's degree within 5 years. However, the effectiveness of financial aid may depend upon the type and package of aid received; work study and grant-only aid packages both seemed to have positive direct effects upon persistence. The results also suggest that the effects of financial aid are primarily exerted indirectly through college grades. Analyses also suggest a negative effect: students who receive loans are less likely to complete their degrees within 5 years than their counterparts who do not receive financial aid. Findings also show that while the number of hours worked is unrelated to degree completion, work study aid increases degree completion rates.

The experience of students withdrawing from a university in their first year is explored. Students' perceptions of the factors which influenced their withdrawal decisions are examined. Findings support the hypothesis that the main factor influencing withdrawal/persistence behavior is the degree to which students can adjust to the new academic and social demands of the university environment.

This paper describes a methodology used in an on-going retention study at New York University (NYU) to identify a series of easily measured factors affecting student departure decisions. Three logistic regression models for predicting student retention were developed, each containing data available at three distinct times during the first semester: first, prior to the start of the fall semester; second, after the third week of
classes; and third, at the end of the first semester. A method of identifying appropriate variables for inclusion in the logistic regression model is discussed as well as a rationale for choosing different cut points to classify the logit results. The study followed Fall 1994 and Fall 1995 freshmen (n=2209) among whom 272 students did not return to NYU a year after entry. Variables were grouped into six general categories describing:
(1) family background/individual attributes; (2) pre-college schooling; (3) institution commitment; (4) first-term academic integration; (5) first-term social integration; and (6) first-year finances. The study found all three models were reasonably effective in identifying high risk students using various probability cutoff points. It concluded that use of all three models to identify students at risk at the three different times would allow
for an optimum intervention strategy.

Describes the development and testing of a socioeconomic model that allows any institution to study student persistence in pursuing an education using existing data sources. Indicates how financial aid, student affairs, academic, and financial administrators can use the model for carrying out sophisticated price response research to plan appropriate aid strategies.

Examines the enrollment and persistence decisions of 674 applicants accepted at one university in the fall of 1992. Results indicate that the university is fulfilling community needs for place-bound students, women students, full-time students, and those students needing a supportive environment. Illustrates how research on aid can benefit institutions.

Using data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, this study examined the influence of finance-related reasons for college choice on persistence decisions. Finance-related choices were found to have direct and indirect influences on college persistence, and market-based, monetary measures of financial aid, tuition, housing costs, and other living costs had substantial direct effects on persistence.

The 1997 fiscal year annual report on schools in the Illinois community college system focuses on student enrollment and completion. The demographic enrollment data reveals that slightly more than half the students are female, one third is of minority ethnicity, and 2 out of every 5 students are 31 years of age or older. Most of the instructional program areas experienced increased enrollments, the largest of which was the
baccalaureate/transfer program. Over half of the students indicated they were enrolled in school with no intention of pursuing a degree, and intended only to complete a certificate or specific courses. Three-fourths of the students attended part-time, with the majority having only high school backgrounds. Eighty-two percent of student grade point averages were 2.01 or above. There was a slight decrease in the number of degrees and
certificates awarded, and of those that did graduate, the majority were female non-minorities. More than half of the students under age 25 completed baccalaureate/transfer degrees. Across all age groups, the proportion of occupational graduates increased as age advanced. Appendices include enrollment data tables and
completion data tables.

Data from study of a learning community program in an urban community college are used to explore the educational character of student persistence. Analyses reveal that classroom activities influence persistence by changing the way students and faculty interact within and beyond the classroom. Implications for current theories of persistence are discussed and a modified theory proposed.

If colleges and universities were to examine closely the results of research on student persistence, they would find several ways to change their academic organization to promote greater educational community among students, faculty, and staff, including supporting connected learning experiences; reorganizing the first year of college; and reorganizing faculty work to allow disciplinary boundaries to be crossed.

This study examined whether the use of trend analysis combined with analysis of persistence variables can be used to establish a model to forecast the first-year persistence of college freshmen. A linear model was created using data on 2,603 first-time freshmen at a moderate-sized comprehensive university from fall 1989 through fall 1993. The forecast equation was tested on the first-year persistence rate for freshmen
newly enrolled in fall 1994. The resulting discrepancy was between the expected and actual persistence rate of 0.56%. The study identified the following variables as having statistically significant correlations with freshman first-year persistence: high school grade point average, high school rank, university grade point average, Scholastic Assessment Test (Math) score, loans, institutional scholarships, outside scholarships, and work-study. Five tables and a figure detail the study's findings.

This case study of a student retention program for at-risk students at Mount Hood Community College (Oregon) contends that student retention programs are seldom as holistic and comprehensive as intended. The study analyzed three areas: the design and implementation of a comprehensive program to improve student retention; the organizational dynamics of change brought about by the retention project; and the role of institutional research. The project students were students who were under-prepared and/or had declared general studies majors with no clear educational goal. The major elements of the retention program included review and revision of student intake services (i.e., placement testing, advising and registration workshops, and a college success class) and intensive academic advising of at-risk students using a case-management approach to advising. Staff and student evaluations of the pilot program were conducted. Staff found the program useful but expressed concern about time constraints, services made available to students who did not need them, and difficulty in contacting students. Students reported satisfaction with the ease of faculty contact. Although there were no significant differences in grade point averages between program students and other students, students receiving the intensive academic advising had a higher one-year retention rate. The role played by institutional research was mixed.

The academic records of 562 students who had requested counseling for personal concerns during a one-year period were examined after a two-year interval to determine academic outcome. Analyses showed that students receiving counseling enjoyed a 14% retention advantage over noncounseled students.

Analyzes first-year retention rates for the 16 colleges of the South Carolina Technical College System, focusing on first-time freshmen enrolling full-time during the fall 1990 and 1991 semesters. Reveals that regional employment and the ratio of instructional and support expenditures per student to regional income per job are the most predictive variables.

Students who were academically dismissed at the end of the spring 1994 semester (at the University of Maryland, College Park) received an invitation to participate in a summer program designed to teach some of the skills necessary for academic success. Fourteen sessions were offered over a four-week period during the first summer school session. The treatment group was comprised of 133 participants, 98 of whom were subsequently approved for reinstatement for fall 1994. The comparison group was comprised of 533 individuals who did not participate in the summer program yet were approved for reinstatement for fall 1994. Academic persistence rates were significantly higher for the treatment group than for the comparison group for three of the four semesters subsequent to the summer program. Two years after dismissal, 64% of the treatment group and only 49% of the comparison group were enrolled at the university. The relative success of the
intervention along with the low proportion of dismissed students participating in the program (16%) suggests a need for early and intensified efforts to attract dismissed students to the summer retention program.

Using a five-year longitudinal study, examines psychosocial factors related to the academic persistence of 288 American Indian college students. Findings indicate that academic preparation and aspirations, academic performance, and interactions with faculty and staff best differentiated between students who persisted in school and those who did not.

Describes three retention programs for regularly admitted students of color. Outlines each program's history and inception; its funding, staffing, and facilities; how the program has become institutionalized and marketed. The key components of the program and assessment of program effectiveness are presented, as well as the crises encountered and overcome in establishing the program.

The role of psychosocial variables (emotional intelligence quotient, bicultural behaviors, locus of control, and social support) in facilitating academic resilience was studied with 104 African American male college students from urban areas, 50 of whom were classified "resilient." Only emotional intelligence quotient was a significant contributor to academic resilience.

Provides definitions of assessment and evaluation, with particular attention to how each may be used to gauge a program's effectiveness. Offers suggestions for using assessment and valuative data proactively to empower students of color and to effect institutional change. Suggests strategies for implementing effective program assessment and evaluation.

Questionnaires that were developed to measure factors in the academic persistence of minority college students were administered to 454 Mexican American students at two large southwestern universities. Both the Cultural Congruity Scale and the University Environment Scale were significant predictors of academic persistence of Mexican American students. Discusses implications for university faculty and staff.

A two-phase study was conducted to gather data on the persistence of adult women enrolled in a 1-semester re-entry program at a community college. Specifically, the study sought to develop a model of persistence that took into account the effect of student characteristics, initial goals, academic and social integration, goal changes, and external commitments on persistence. In the first phase, questionnaires were sent to 612 women who had enrolled in the program from fall 1987 to fall 1993, while in the second phase qualitative data were obtained through interviews conducted with six persisting and four non-persisting women from the sample. Study findings, based on the interviews and completed questionnaires received from 306 women, included the following: (1) for the women who were still enrolled at the college or another school or had graduated, only financial aid status, grade point average, and final goal were significantly related to persistence; (2) while non-persisters did not share any particular set of qualifications, they differed from persisters in their reasons for attending, lack of integration into the college, and lack of commitment
to obtaining a degree; and (3) as a result, a new persistence model for adult women was developed incorporating an intention to change one's life, an ability to integrate academic and personal spheres, and the goal of getting a degree.

This study examined voluntary and involuntary withdrawal rates of students of various racial origins at York University in Ontario (Canada). Data were obtained from three surveys of first-year students conducted in 1993, 1994, and 1995, and involving 1,864 students. Information on Ontario Academic Credit (OAC) marks, first year grade point averages (GPAs), and enrollment status at the beginning of the second year was obtained from school records. It was found that differences in retention rates for Blacks and students of South
Asian, Chinese, "other" non-European, and European origins were small. Only gender, perceptions of the value of a degree, a belief that students will return for a second year, and GPA were of utility in predicting voluntary withdrawal at the end of the first year. Increased hours of employment and living in temporary accommodations contributed to involuntary withdrawal. Similarly, being Black or of "other" racial origin also had a slight effect on the probability of not returning for a second year.

Assesses the effectiveness of Santa Fe Community College's "College Success Program" by looking at the academic performance of remedial students who participated in the program as freshmen. Findings indicate that the program decreased the course failure rate for African-American and female students, and increased grade-point average for African-American and male students.

Application of a grounded theory approach in a study of 18 minority students in professional programs at a research university found 3 strong influences in students' choice of professional field and likelihood in achieving educational goals: family support; ideal of service to community; and determination. Implications for minority recruitment and persistence in professional programs are discussed.

This study examined the predictive factors of persistence for African American students at historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) and at predominantly white institutions, and is based on John Bean's (1982) synthetic model, which incorporates background, organizational, environmental, attitudinal, and outcome variables. The hypotheses were that Bean's model might not fully explain attrition effects for the African American subgroup of the student population, and that differences might exist in the factors predicting African
American student persistence at HBCUs and at predominantly white institutions. The database of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program provided a stratified sample of a cohort of freshman entering American colleges and universities in 1986 and follow-up information from 1990. Of the 295 African American students, 78 were enrolled at predominantly white 4-year institutions, while 217 were enrolled at 4-year HBCUs. Factor analyses provided scaled variables, which were subsequently utilized in the regression
analysis. The results show that for HBCUs, the predictors for persistence were faculty mentoring, intention to marry, changing a major or career, and intention to leave the institution, while at predominantly white institutions, the mentoring of faculty was the sole predictor for African American persistence.

Uses data from a national study on student aid to examine the influence of student subsidies on within-year persistence for nontraditional college-age students enrolled in two-year colleges. Finds that tuition charges had a negative effect on within-year persistence and that student aid subsidies were insufficient to mitigate this effect.

Compared with other fields of study, engineering at the higher education level has the lowest proportion of women students. A review of the literature concerning models of retention and female identity formation indicates that increased mentorship, curriculum revision, enrichment programs, and career workshops have been tried in efforts to increase integration of women engineering students into their professional communities. The University of Maryland at College Park used focus groups to evaluate programs designed to retain women
in engineering. Meeting other women to share experiences and express opinions in a supportive atmosphere was cited by participants as a highly beneficial result of the group sessions. In addition, administrators, staff, and faculty can use such information to design effective and supportive programs for women in engineering and to cultivate connections and support among engineering students. It was hoped that the resulting sense of
community and positive interactions with faculty and administrators within engineering schools will help to increase retention of women students.

This study examined differences and similarities in first-year college retention among Anglo, Black, and Hispanic students. Data were gathered on nearly 3,000 new undergraduate students who entered Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, between 1991 and 1995, including full-time, part-time, and transfer students. Data included demographic information, standardized test scores, academic performance at previous institutions, and academic performance at Barry University. The students also completed two surveys during their first year on their subjective experiences at the university. The study found that first-year grade point average (GPA) had a far greater impact on the odds of retention than any other factor, contributing 81 percent to a predictive model of retention. Taken together, variables interacting with ethnicity or citizenship contributed less than seven percent to the retention model. It was also found that Black students had 50 percent greater odds of persistence assuming all other factors being equal. Only Black and Hispanic students' GPAs were affected by satisfaction with opportunities for academic help outside of class, while concerns about financial difficulties affected persistence only for resident aliens, regardless of ethnicity.

This report describes a longitudinal evaluation of an on-going 5-year program at the University of Michigan to improve minority student retention and academic performance. The Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) creates research partnerships between first- and second-year students and faculty researchers, and provides peer counseling, workshops in learning skills, and research peer groups. The evaluation compared students in the program with students matched for grade point averages and college
entrance examination scores who had applied to the program. Among evaluation findings are: (1) UROP students had an attrition rate 32 percent lower than underrepresented students university-wide; (2) African-American students in UROP showed an attrition rate 51 percent lower than control group students; (3) participation in UROP resulted in grade point averages some 6 percent higher than all students; and (4) UROP appeared to positively affect student self-esteem, coping strategies, learning behaviors, and expectations about academic performance. Individual sections of the report present an executive summary, an
overview of the project, and a description of the project's purpose, background and origins, major components, and evaluation/results. Appendices include the UROP brochure, newsletter, and faculty handbook, the survey instruments, and a draft paper titled "Undergraduate Student-Faculty Research Partnerships Affect Student Retention" (Biren A. Nagda and others).

St. Augustine College (SAC), in North Carolina, has undertaken four studies to gather data on factors related to student persistence, transfer, and withdrawal from the college. In the first study, graduating students from June 1990 to December 1992 were surveyed to determine influences on their decisions to transfer to a university. Three major influences identified in the study were an intention to transfer, high levels of academic achievement, and demonstrated mathematics ability at SAC. In the second study, 100 students who
withdrew from the college between 1990 and 1993 were surveyed to identify reasons for withdrawing. Reasons cited fell into the general categories of family and home problems, educational problems, and financial problems. In the third study, questionnaires were administered to 300 students in developmental English classes at various levels to determine the learning styles of Hispanic English as a second language students. Results from this study suggested that students preferred auditory and tactile learning methods to visual learning and group work. Finally, a longitudinal study of 300 students who entered in 1994-95 is currently underway to determine factors related to student persistence. Preliminary results show that students with good mathematics ability at entrance who receive encouragement are more likely to have good grade point averages, to intend to persist, and to actually persist. The graduate and current student survey instruments are appended.

Examines challenges in retaining students of color and the urge by some reformers to "fix the student" rather than focusing on institutional change. Argues that institutional commitment to retention entails a willingness to revise policies, power relationships, curriculum, support services, campus climate, and environment. Offers recommendations for improving retention rates.

To assist in the development of a statewide plan for increasing minority participation for both students and employees, the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) Board conducted a review of progress made in minority access, recruitment, retention, and employment in System colleges from 1989 to 1994. The review included outcomes related to total enrollments, basic education enrollments, occupational program enrollments and graduation rates, and enrollments and graduation rates for high earning potential programs
(HEPPs), or programs which offer graduates a monthly salary of at least $1,500. Study results included the following: (1) overall, minority student enrollment increased from 6.9% (n=30,960) in 1989-90 to 8.3% (n=36,273) in 1993-94; (2) in basic education over the same period, minority enrollment increased from 23.8% of the total basic education enrollment to 27.8%; (3) although minority students accounted for 9.3% of the occupational program enrollments in 1993-94, they represented only 7.1% of the occupational graduates; (4)
minority enrollment in HEPP increased by only .5% over the 5-year period, from 6.1% to 6.6%, indicating that the WTCS needs to improve minority student recruitment and retention in this area; and (5) although the number of minority employees in the System increased by 12.7% over the period, total systemwide minority employment was below the 1990 Census figures by 2.1%. Descriptions of recruitment programs in three districts are appended.

A study of college student persistence decisions found college experiences, academic achievement, and environmental pull factors contributed most to persistence decisions, with differential effects for gender and ethnic groups. No precollege factors were significant. For minorities the strongest factors in dropping out were family responsibilities and off-campus work. Faculty mentoring outside class had a significant positive effect on women.

This study examined environmental and institutional factors affecting persistence of
Hispanic college students. The sample of 324 first- and second-year students surveyed in
the spring of 1995 included students who were enrolled in programs at a private, Illinois,
bilingual junior college which were established to educate students who were older,
ill-prepared academically, out of school for a long time, and lacked financial resources.
Structural equation modeling was used to explore the effect of the following variables: grade
point average, mathematics ability, family and home responsibilities, financial problems,
cultural affinity, social integration, satisfaction with faculty, academic difficulty, academic
integration, goal commitment, institutional commitment, intent to persist, and
encouragement and support that students receive from family, peers, and college staff, in
a comprehensive model of student persistence. Findings confirmed the validity of the model
to explain students' social and academic adjustment but not the impact of those experiences
on their persistence. College-related factors such as social experiences, academic difficulty,
and attitudes toward faculty influenced student commitments to degree completion and to
the college. Despite expressed intentions to continue their college program, students' return
to college in the fall seemed to be affected by factors outside the campus. A list of factor
scale items is appended.

Surveyed 1,107 African American college freshman about their perceptions of academic preparation, expected grade point average, expected graduation year, personal and social preparation for the new environment, and areas of needed help. Most had positive perceptions and expectations that were somewhat unrealistic. Implications for student retention are discussed.

This article concentrates on identifying program goals as an initial, and essential, aspect of developing a program for the retention of minority students in higher education. Focus groups and in-depth interviews that were conducted to identify goals for such a program at a major research university are described.

Uses autobiographical narratives by authors and student collaborators to construct a criticism of retention programs and these programs' promotion of institutional racism. Examines historical deculturization, the objectification of students of color, and the power-knowledge nexus. Concludes with suggestions for establishing the credibility of retention initiatives.