Though many institutions provide an a la carte approach to the first year, Julie Alexander and John Gardner argue that meeting the needs of first-year students requires a cohesive strategic action plan. Here is their practical framework for mapping and developing such a plan.

Claims developmental education has been the central medium of upward social mobility for the American lower and middle classes. Outlines the accomplishments of developmental educators as well as the national trends that bear directly upon the work of developmental educators. (NH)

This issue examines the problems and issues that affect students in the first year of college and reviews current institutional efforts to enhance the learning and retention of first-year students. It also offers a set of suggestions for trustees who seek greater understanding and more active engagement in campus decisions related to the first…

This booklet contains a blueprint of questions that can be used at public and private four-year colleges and universities by an institution-wide task force examining the first-year experience or the broader campus experience. The blueprint can also be used to aid in an overall process of campus self-study or assessment. The questions a task force…

John N. Gardner, Associate Vice Provost at the University of South Carolina (USC), responds to questions concerning cutbacks and in programs aimed at first-year college students, the role played by USC's Freshman Year Experience course, academic credit for support programs, teacher training for support/developmental courses, teaching style, open…

This booklet contains questions that are intended to serve as a starting point for asking meaningful questions about the quality of the first year of college so that a two-year college campus can enhance the learning, satisfaction, and retention of new college students. The previous edition considered the first-year experience for both two-year…

The movement to enhance the freshman year experience by changing the way institutions treat, welcome, assimilate, support, and inform freshman students is discussed and illustrated. The potential importance of the movement to admissions officers and registrars is emphasized. (MSE)

An interview with David Riesman, founder of Harvard University's (Massachusetts) freshman seminar program, covers the origins and structure of the seminars, Riesman's own college experience, the importance of the college experience, faculty research, and the role of faculty in student intellectual development. (MSE)

In 2002, the Policy Center on the First Year of College (supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Atlantic Philanthropies, and Lumina Foundation for Education) sponsored a project to recognize colleges and universities as "Institutions of Excellence" in their design and execution of the first year. Thirteen colleges and…

This document reviews the results of the first comprehensive survey of the first year in Canadian postsecondary education, and examines the range and consequences of courses of study. It explores students' perceptions of their first year, and evaluates the programs and services that were offered. Chapter 1 compares and contrasts the American and…

The University 101 concept as a method for improving university teaching and learning is described, with emphasis on the faculty training program, although the approach also includes a three-credit-hour freshman orientation course. The structure, content, outcomes, and research findings on the University 101 program are examined. The approach was…

Guidelines to enhancing the freshman year experience are presented in the following chapters: (1) "A Comprehensive Approach to Enhancing Freshman Success" (M. Lee Upcraft, John N. Gardner); (2) "Who Are Today's Freshmen?" (Arthur Levine); (3) "A Historical Look at the Freshman Year Experience" (John Orr Dwyer); (4) "Understanding Student…