Student Retention: Fostering Peer Relationships Through a Brief Experimental Intervention

Social integration (i.e., feeling a sense of belonging, involvement, support, or connectedness) is an important factor in university student retention, especially among students of color from underrepresented groups. Despite theoretical models and correlational evidence pointing to the relevance of these social experiences, few studies have attempted to experimentally increase social integration and, subsequently, retention. In this randomized experimental study, we used a brief, structured closeness-induction task to promote peer connections among undergraduate students and found that the closeness-induction task, compared to a small-talk task, was effective in boosting retention, especially among students of color. This research suggests that structured interactions could be an effective strategy for universities to encourage retention of students from underrepresented groups.

Peer Student Mentoring for Nursing Program Persistence and Leadership Development

Mentoring relationships are used in education, practice, and administration settings to foster professional growth. Mentoring is a valuable process, requiring intentional, committed, and purposeful interactions between two or more professionals or students. At one rural university student retention and persistence was identified by administration as problematic. In response faculty devised and implemented a program providing students the opportunity to be a mentor or be mentored given that mentoring offers occasions for students to support one another while the more experienced student engages the less experienced student. This paper explains the findings of a three year cohort descriptive mentoring study utilizing a convenience sample of admitted senior students who served as mentors for first year student mentees interested in nursing. Mentors and mentees experienced rich engagement opportunities in formal and informal meetings as faculty evaluated student persistence and leadership skills.

Supporting Biomedical Students Struggling With Second-Choice-Syndrome to Thrive Rather Than Just Survive First Year

The James Cook University (JCU) Biomedical Science students struggle with their first year and “second-choice-syndrome” as evidenced by high inter-degree transfer rates and low primary degree completions despite the cohort having high subject or unit grade point averages. This project evaluated the impact of two extracurricular support initiatives (email newsletters and themed luncheons) to deliver just-in-time information and support on student engagement and success. Students and academics rated the initiatives highly with positive support themes of networking, collegiality, belonging and engagement; there was no direct improvement in subject grades or degree satisfaction metrics. However, there was an increase in degree, college, and university student retention. It is becoming increasingly important to recognize and separate the classic academic measures of grades as an indication of success and that more personal or social support is required for students to thrive regardless of cohort demographics or career path. A student’s initial experience on campus is important and influences students’ persistence in higher education and their believed capabilities.

Student Employee Recruitment and Retention through Campus Partnerships

Student employees play a critical role in the operation of student recreation centers. One of the challenges faced by many recreational sports departments is the ongoing need to recruit and retain these student employees. Recruitment can be done through word of mouth, current employee referrals, and on-campus advertising. Retention can be accomplished through competitive pay rates, flexible work hours, a challenging and exciting work environment, and opportunities to advance, among other strategies (Chelladurai, 1999). Recruitment and retention are important considerations for any recreational sports department, large or small, because student employees have an enormous impact on both the quantity and quality of programs and services offered by the department. This article proposes a strategy for establishing partnerships with academic departments to aid in the recruitment and retention of student employees. These collaborative partnerships have the ability to benefit students, the recreational sports department, academic departments, and university student retention efforts. This article outlines how to establish and implement these relationships and proposes several possible partnerships between recreational sports and various academic departments. Following a description of this strategy is an example of a partnership that has been successfully established at one Midwestern university.