Four-year public colleges 1 WHAT WORKS IN STUDENT RETENTION Dr. Wes Habley Principal Associate Educational Services ACT, Inc.

Four-year public colleges 2

3  Expected and Justified realized a goal other than a degree/certificate  Stopping Out not on our timeframe  Unnecessary and subject to institutional intervention Types of Types of Attrition

Four-year public colleges 4 The process of holding or keeping in one’s possession Retention

Four-year public colleges 5 The process or state of being gradually worn down. Migrant Mother, Dorothea Lange Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division [ reproduction number LC-USF C] ATTRITION

Four-year public colleges 6 To continue to exist or prevailPERSISTENCE

Four-year public colleges 7 Highest % Lowest % Current % Two-Year Public 53.7(’08,’09) 53.7(’08,’09) 51.3(’04) 53.7 BA/BS Public 70.0(’04) 66.4(’96,’05) 66.4(’96,’05)67.6 MA/MS Public 71.6(’06) 68.1(’89) 69.8 PhD Public 78.1(’04) 72.9(’08) 74.4 Two-year Private 72.6(‘92)55.5(’08)55.5 BA/BS Private 74.0(’89)69.6(’08)69.9 MA/MS Private 78.0(’85)72.3(’08)72.0 PhD Private 85.0(’85)80.4(’08)80.6 Freshman/Sophomore Retention Trends

Four-year public colleges 8 Highest % Lowest % Current % BA/BS Public 52.8(’86) 39.6(’06) 43.0 MA/MS Public 46.7(’86) 37.0(’00) 38.4 PhD Public 50.6(’89,’90) 45.0(’01) 48.7 BA/BS Private 57.5(’06) 53.3(’01) 55.9 MA/MS Private 58.4(’88) 53.5(’01) 54.8 PhD Private 68.8(’86) 63.1(05) 65.1 NATIONAL 54.6 (’90) 50.9 (‘01) 52.6 Completion Trends

Four-year public colleges 9  Overall responses Mailing: 3360 institutions Usable returns: 1104 (32.9%)  Four-year public college responses: Mailing: 598 institutions 258 usable returns (43.1%) Survey Details

Four-year public colleges 10 Survey sections I. I.Background II. II.Retention and degree completion rates III. III. Factors affecting attrition IV. IV. Retention practices V. V. Highest impact programs Survey Details

Four-year public colleges 1111 What Works…..  The data reported in this survey are based on the perspectives of the individuals who responded to the survey. In some cases responses were informed by data collected at the respondent’s institution  This session is the tip of the iceberg. Complete data reports should be available for all four institutional types after March 1, 2010 at: tml

Four-year public colleges 12  42 factors listed  To what degree does each factor affect attrition at your school 5 = Major effect on attrition 4 3 = Moderate effect on attrition 2 1 = Little or no effect on attrition Factors affecting attrition

Four-year public colleges 13  level of student preparation for college- level work (3.9)  adequacy of personal financial resources (3.9)  student study skills (3.8)  amount of financial aid available to students (3.7) Highest Rated Contributions to Attrition

Four-year public colleges 14  level of student motivation to succeed (3.6)  level of student commitment to earning a degree (3.6)  level of job demands on students (3.5)  student low socio-economic status (3.5) Highest Rated Contributions to Attrition

Four-year public colleges 15  student educational aspirations and goals (3.4)  student personal coping skills (3.3)  student first-generation status (3.3)  student family responsibilities (3.2)  level of certainty about career goals (3.2) Highest Rated Contributions to Attrition

Four-year public colleges 16  We have….. a beautiful campus great facilities a rich set of co-curricular experiences excellent academic programs an outstanding faculty Why to we have a problem?

Four-year public colleges 17 WRONG STUDENTS We must have the…..

Four-year public colleges 18  level of intellectual stimulation in the classroom (2.7)  quality of interaction between staff and students (2.7)  relevancy of curricula (2.6)  distance from students' permanent homes (2.6)  extracurricular programs (2.5)  residence hall facilities (2.5) Lowest contribution to attrition

Four-year public colleges 19 hold students responsible minimizing the institutional role It is disturbing to note….that in spite of all we know about student retention that institutions are still inclined to hold students responsible for their retention/attrition while dramatically minimizing the institutional role in student retention. John Gardner comments…

Four-year public colleges 20  94 identified retention practices  2 wild cards  Two sub-sections: Is this intervention offered? (yes or no) If it is offered, rate the contribution to retention   Five-point Rating Scale 5 = Major Contribution to Retention 4 3 = Moderate Contribution to Retention 2 1 = Little or no contribution to Retention Retention Interventions

Four-year public colleges 21  Intervention clusters First-year transition programs (8 items) Academic advising (15) Assessment (9) Career Planning and Placement (6) Learning Assistance/Academic Support (19) Mentoring (4) Faculty Development (7) Financial Aid (3) Co-curricular Services/Programs for specific sub- populations (10) Other activities/programs (10) Retention Interventions

Four-year public colleges 22  academic advising center (4.0)  increased number of academic advisors (4.0)  advising interventions with selected student populations (4.0)  comprehensive learning assistance center/lab (3.9) Highest Rated Interventions

Four-year public colleges 23  supplemental instruction (3.9)  first-generation students (3.9)  required on-campus housing for freshmen (3.9)  reading center/lab (3.9)  tutoring (3.8) Highest Rated Interventions (cont.)

Four-year public colleges 24  summer bridge program (3.8)  extended freshman orientation (credit) (3.8)  honors student program (3.8)  integration of advising with first-year transition programs (3.8) Highest Rated Interventions (cont.)

Four-year public colleges 25  library orientation, workshop, and/or course (2.9)  degree guarantee program (2.9)  learning styles assessment (2.9)  vocational aptitude assessment (2.9)  recognition/rewards for non-faculty academic advisors (2.9)  values assessment (2.8)  recognition/rewards for faculty academic advisors (2.8)  personality assessment (2.6) Lowest Rated Interventions

Four-year public colleges 26

Four-year public colleges 27 Combining Percentage of Use with Item Means Top one-thirdMiddle one-thirdLowest one-third Highest rated items Percentage of Institutions offering a specific intervention (INCIDENCE) > 80%36%-79%<35%

Four-year public colleges 28  advising interventions with selected student populations (3.9)  tutoring (3.8)  honor students (3.8)  mathematics center/lab (3.8)  freshman seminar/university 101 (credit) (3.7)  study skills course, program, or center (3.7)  writing center/lab (3.7)  mandated placement of students in courses based on test scores (3.7) GOOD BET: High ratings and high incidence

Four-year public colleges 29  academic advising center (4.0)  comprehensive learning assistance center/lab (3.9)  supplemental instruction (3.9)  required on-campus housing for freshmen (3.9)  summer bridge program (3.8)  integration of advising with first-year transition programs (3.8) CONSIDER: High ratings and moderate incidence

Four-year public colleges 30  increased number of academic advisors (4.0)  first-generation students (3.9)  reading center/lab (3.9)  extended freshman orientation (credit) (3.8)  staff mentoring ( 3.6)  extended freshman orientation (non-credit) (3.6)  center that integrates academic advising with career/life planning (3.6) SLEEPERS: High ratings and low incidence

Four-year public colleges 31 BORING! Data – #%&!^&((!

Four-year public colleges 32 Top three interventions freshman seminar/university 101 (credit) (24%) supplemental instruction (16%) tutoring (15%) advising interventions with selected student populations (14%) living/learning communities (residential) (14%) mandated placement of students in courses based on test scores (13%)

Four-year public colleges 33 academic advising center (12%) summer orientation (11%) early warning system (10%) 43 interventions between 1% and 9% of the institutions 42 interventions not mentioned at all Top three interventions

Four-year public colleges 34 Learning Assistance/Academic Support Academic Advising First-year Transition Programs Highest Rated Clusters

Four-year public colleges 35 Comparing Interventions  Top quartile first to second year retention rate (high performers) v. bottom quartile first to second year retention rate (low performers) High = 66 institutions Low = 67 institutions  Included only items with a mean > 3.6 for all four-year public colleges  High performer incidence rate > 10% above low performer incidence rate

Four-year public colleges 36 This is not rocket science

Four-year public colleges 37 Intervention Differences  increased number of academic advisors (43% - 30%)  advising interventions with selected student populations (96% - 82%)  supplemental instruction (75% - 64%)  summer bridge program (75% - 49%)  honor students (91% - 73%)

Four-year public colleges 38 Intervention Differences  integration of advising with first-year transition programs (72% - 48%)  training for non-faculty academic advisors (84% - 67%)  faculty mentoring (74% - 45%)  living/learning communities (residential) (84% - 42%)  international students (87% - 60%)  staff mentoring (57% - 31%)

Four-year public colleges 39

Four-year public colleges 40 WHAT WORKS IN STUDENT RETENTION Dr. Wes Habley Principal Associate Educational Services ACT, Inc.