This article summarizes a junior college's early failures in attempting to develop a viable student orientation program, outlines the planning strategy that eventually led to success, describes the program that resulted, and presents descriptive data regarding the results. (Author)

Proposes human potential seminars on topics such as "study skills" or "library use" as alternatives to traditional freshman orientation courses. Examines the implementation of the seminars at Lurleen B. Wallace Junior College and discusses their effectiveness in improving the self-concept and retention of high-risk students.…

The goal of Queensborough Community College's College Discovery Pre-Freshman Summer Program (PFSP) is to ease the transition from high school into college for entering College Discovery freshmen, and thereby improve their academic performance and increase their chances for retention at the college. An evaluation of the PFSP was conducted in 1987…

Suffolk Community College Eastern Campus (SCCEC) designed and implemented a retention program built on the belief that access for students does not necessarily lead to success. The goal of the retention program was to increase retention of students by providing them with the skills and supports necessary to succeed. The group targeted for the…

This paper discusses the characteristics of nontraditional student populations, reviews programs of interest, identifies problems and concerns of these students, and provides a model for orientation sessions targeting nontraditional populations. Following a brief introduction, section II discusses the characteristics, retention, and academic…

At the Fayette Campus of Pennsylvania State University (which offers the first two years of baccalaureate education), volunteering faculty members are selected to serve as academic counselors during freshmen orientation on the basis of their student-orientation, motivation, realistic perspective on counseling objectives, and their willingness to…

The "revolving door syndrome" refers to the ease with which students are able to enroll in community colleges and the equal ease with which they can drop out. In addition to traditional retention strategies, such as assessment, placement, orientation and advising, innovative approaches have been implemented at five community colleges…

The Community College of Philadelphia's Minority Education Initiative Program was created to increase the enrollment of Black and Hispanic students through pro-active recruitment and retention strategies. One component of the initiative, a minority mentoring program, was developed and pilot tested in spring 1988. Faculty and staff volunteers in…

In 1960, Mount St. Mary's College (MSMC) opened the Doheny campus as an alternative for students who had potential for college, but who were not eligible to enter MSMC's traditional baccalaureate campus. The Doheny Campus has consistently developed innovative programs to enable students to successfully complete associate in arts degrees and also…

The Native Hawaiian Project at Leeward Community College (LCC) in Pearl City, Hawaii, was developed to increase the retention and academic success of native Hawaiian students at the college. The project was initiated in summer 1988 with the establishment of the Native Hawaiian Recruitment and Retention Task force to examine campus services and…

To help new students clarify goals, understand the demands of college, and successfully adjust to college life, Queensborough Community College (QCC), in Bayside, New York, developed the "Introduction to College" program. The program combines a 4-week orientation seminar with a writing-accross-the-curriculum approach to help QCC's…

In order to better serve minority students and other underrepresented groups, Fresno City College, in California, implemented two innovative programs: the Re-Entry Student Conference (RESC) and the Registration-To-Go (RTG) program. The RESC was a 2-day enrollment program designed to attract students from the Fresno area over the age of 25. Many of…

To address the challenges created by increased student diversity, expanding enrollment, and shrinking budgets, Midlands Technical College, in South Carolina, designed a student success program in 1989 to enhance student retention, student satisfaction, and student goal achievement. Key components of the system include: (1) a year-to-year and…

Laney's Success Model for First-Year Students attempts to increase retention by accommodating students and encouraging learning. It requires an institutional commitment for student academic success and tries to dispel the forces of attrition: academic boredom, difficulty adjusting to college life, and academic underpreparedness. The first-year…

The Learning Center (LC) at South Plains College (SPC), in Texas, offers remedial reading instruction, college-level reading and human development, Success Seminars, orientation services, tutoring, and independent study for academic skills development. The center, which has the most successful remedial reading program in the state, combines the…