Despite research pointing to the crucial role nonacademic staff play in student success in higher education, large-scale reform efforts at community colleges and elsewhere typically focus little direct attention on interpersonal interactions between students and staff. Caring Campus is a program developed and administered by the Institute for…

Over the past four decades there has been a great amount of research on retention of students in higher education institutions (Tinto, 2006); however, few studies have examined the effect of what institutions provide for student support, regarding retention, specifically allied health program students. Retention of community college students in…

Highlights approaches to improving student retention used at the Agricultural and Technical College at Delhi, NY. Describes the formation and activities of a fact-finding task force and of an ongoing student retention planning and steering committee. (CAM)

Discusses the planning and possible effects of marketing efforts. Considers means of retaining current students and recruiting two groups of nonstudents--potential students with no educational interest who need special encouragement and members of the workforce who may have lifelong learning needs and interests. (AYC)

The Indiana Vocational Technical College (IVTC) is a state-supported two-year college with 22 campuses across Indiana. In January 1992, as part of a college-wide effort to improve institutional effectiveness, an eight-member Retention Committee (RC) was established, consisting of executive and instructional deans; directors of student services;…

Arguing that retention research requires a sound theoretical framework and that retention planning takes place within a sociopolitical context, this paper presents an overview of the requirements and process of student retention research. Part I examines the role of research in a college's retention effort and establishes the general requirements…

Ranken Technical College, a small, private, non-profit, two-year technical college in St. Louis, developed a plan whereby at-risk students would be flagged, their needs assessed, and programs put into place to meet those needs. The desired result was a higher retention rate, especially among minorities. The following components were found to be…

In September 1992, a peer mentoring program was initiated at Santa Rosa Junior College (SRJC), in California, to address the disproportionately low enrollment and retention rates of minority and disabled students. This handbook is designed for colleges considering establishing similar mentoring programs and provides background information on…

Since the enactment of state legislation designed to address the underrepresentation of minorities, women, and the handicapped, Illinois institutions of higher education have developed many programs to address this problem. These efforts include a range of approaches from those focusing primarily on motivating students and strengthening their…

Jackson State Community College (JSCC) is a state supported institution in rural West Tennessee under federal mandate to increase the proportion of black enrollments to reflect the proportion of blacks in the college's service area. In response to the mandate and to declining enrollments in general, a project was undertaken to develop a…

An overview of the development and evaluation of an early alert procedure for identifying and assisting students experiencing academic difficulty at Irvine Valley College (IVC), in California, is provided in this report. The first section introduces IVC's new personal computer-based Early Alert Retention System (EARS) software, as well as the…

Drawing from a review of the literature on issues related to student retention and attrition, and research on student attitudes toward the Community College of Denver (CCD), this report suggests four models for student retention programs for different two-year college student groups. Following introductory material on the project, a literature…

In an effort to develop early intervention strategies to increase student persistence, a study was conducted at Allegany Community College (ACC) in Cumberland, Maryland, of the common characteristics of withdrawing students. Student records were examined for the 84 students (out of a total of 2,999 enrolled) who withdrew in the first 3 weeks of…

The Department of Developmental Education (DDE) at Peirce Junior College (PJC) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, serves a student population that is 56% minority, 85% first-generation college students, and 80% academically underprepared. In an effort to improve academic and counseling services to PJC's educationally disadvantaged students, a tutorial…

In response to concerns about the loss of effectiveness of the community college transfer function, this paper examines the steady decline in rates of minority student transfer from two- to four-year colleges and offers policy recommendations for facilitating transfer and baccalaureate degree attainment. Initial sections review data showing the…