College Student Retention: Formula for Student Success

by Alan Seidman (Editor), Alexander W. Astin (Contributor), Joseph B. Berger (Contributor)

Although access to higher education is virtually universally available, college student retention stills remains a vexing and puzzling problem for educators and legislators. In College Student Retention: Formula for Student Success, second edition, Alan Seidman deals with this problematic issue by examining a number of areas critical to the retention of students, including the history, the theories and concepts, models, and a standardized definition of the term. Seidman and his contributors also lay out the financial implications and trends of retention in one of their updated chapters. Completely new to this edition are three chapters that examine several recent issues: the current theories of retention, retention of online students, and retention in community colleges. Tying all of these components together, Seidman then presents his formula and highly successful model for student success that colleges can implement to effect change in retaining students and helping them to complete their academic and personal goals.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would not say that this book develops a "formula" for retaining students, but the chapters from various scholars do illuminate sundry aspects of student retention, and what administrators need to be aware of while developing programs aimed at "at-risk" populations. For me, the most important conclusion is that every person at a university has an impact upon students' perceptions of that institution and its support for students; retention is an issue all people, regardless of their role on campus, need to be aware of in order to foster a positive environment students do not want to depart from.

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written, but dated in 2024.

[Mills College Library]

378.1619 C6979 2012