Peer mentoring programs have repeatedly shown that peer-to-peer support is a vital part of the transition process for new college students. Sometimes, what a student needs most in those imperative years is someone who can identify with them and provide the advice needed to get them to the finish line. In August 2019, the University of Nevada, Las…

Orienting and welcoming first-year students to campus and to honors programs are often key components of program development. At an institutional level, successful orientation programs can positively affect retention rates from the first to second year. The greater a student's involvement and integration into the life of the university, the less…

While "transfer" has become, in recent years, a subject of great research interest to our field, we still have much to learn about how we can best use this research knowledge to inform local efforts in program development. In this profile, we describe the foundations of the Dartmouth Institute for Writing and Rhetoric and explain how…

The School of Engineering, Mathematics, and Science (SEMS) at Robert Morris University (RMU) was awarded a five-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund scholarships to 21 academically talented but financially challenged students majoring in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Each…

Enrollment forecasting is the central component of effective budget and program planning. The integrated enrollment forecast model is developed to achieve a better understanding of the variables affecting student enrollment and, ultimately, to perform accurate forecasts. The transfer function model of the autoregressive integrated moving average…

This monograph explores and discusses issues related to student-athletes with emphasis on entering student-athletes, and on development of programs to facilitate positive relationships between student-athletes and their universities. Following an introduction by the editor, the included chapters are: (1) "An Interview with Mike McGee" (Betsy O.…

The development of a freshman seminar at Ohio State University over 70 years is chronicled, looking at the impact of historical influences and the changing values of higher education on the character of the course. The structure and content of the current course are also outlined. (MSE)

The Linkage Program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice links small groups of entering first-year students with similar academic skills in three courses whose instructors meet beforehand to coordinate assignments and class materials. Describes the evolution and outcomes of the Linkage Program, highlighting its effects on academic persistence.…

Second semester freshmen living in dormitories at York College (Pennsylvania) were administered the Organization Survey and Study Techniques Survey, and these results were compared with the students' overall grade-point averages (GPAs). The results indicated a clear positive correlation between study organization and GPA, and a significant…

An analysis of survey data collected at Bowling Green State University during the years 1973 to 1976 found that the objectives, attitudes, and background characteristics of successive classes of entering freshmen have remained very stable. While differences between men and women on certain traits are at times fairly large, the magnitude of the…

The special studies program at Hofstra University is designed for high school graduates applying to the university whose educational backgrounds require a more personalized approach to introductory college work. An attempt is made to minimize the risk of poor academic performance during the first year in college. A random sample of 24 students in…

This report presents the findings for public four-year colleges and universities that participated in ACT's 2010 What Works in Student Retention survey. The report contains information pertinent to only these institutions. Appended are: (1) Data for Public Four-Year Colleges and Universities; and (2) What Works in Student Retention: Instrument.…