According to Vincent Tinto, a professor at Syracuse University who has written extensively about college students, many college administrators cite "student retention" as a top issue. However, the identification of the problem does not always lead to a viable solution. There are some strategies that may be able to help start administrators on the path to better retention statistics.
Target Freshmen
College students make the majority of their friends and connections as freshmen. Once the sophomore and junior years hit, most students have already settled into cliques. Students who are either shy or live outside of major dorms may feel alienated. So make sure you give all of your freshmen an opportunity to get to know each other from the beginning through freshman orientation meetings, meet and greets, and socials. Consider having a special weekend where the freshmen students from various backgrounds come together and have a huge sleepover in a common area of campus to get to know each other. Facilitate talks and ice breakers.
Promote and Embrace Diversity
Unfortunately on many campuses that are majority white or Asian, other minorities feel alienated and forgotten. According to Tinto, minority students in this position feel that they are "little, or not at all, part of the general campus life." This feeling among minority students can cause some to decide to drop out of the college. So promote and embrace diversity through special campus programs, like forums, movie nights with diverse themes, celebrity appearances and presentations.
When you set up diversity programs, do not target them solely for the minority students. Oftentimes for minority students, friction comes from other students who are a part of majority groups. So make at least a portion of the programs mandatory for all university students, and faculty, to experience, so that they can understand the importance of embracing and appreciating other cultures.
Financial Aid
Another major reason why many students have to drop out of college is due to lack of financial support. Some students are already overwhelmed with loans and dread the burden of student loans after graduation. Also, when additional financial costs arise, they can't handle the pressure of that in addition to concentrating on school work.
Consider taking a cue from Princeton University, Michigan State University and Rice University, among a number of additional prominent universities that offer loan-free student aid packages to qualifying students in need (see "Better Yet, No Tuition" under References for more information). Also, analyze the performance of your financial aid office. Many times the counselors do not provide the level of support that low-income students need.
Tags: minority students, drop college, each other, feel alienated, know each, know each other