The
development of any program at any university
requires a multifaceted process incor-porating
all individuals involved. In terms of
an institution-wide project, the advice
of Flannery and others (1973) must be
remembered: the entire institution must
take part. From an institutional point
of view, many things must happen on campus
to ensure that positive change can take
place.
In an examination of effective institutional
practices at four-year institutions, Clewell
and Ficklen (1986) identified several characteristics
of institutions employing effective prac-tice:
the presence of stated policy; a high level
of institutional commitment; institutionalization
of the program; comprehensive services,
dedicated staff, and strong faculty support;
an atmosphere that allows students to participate
without feeling stigma-tized; and collection
of data to monitor students’ progress.
Institutional focus is the key ingredient
of this set of characteristics. Stated
policy, institutional commitment, compre-hensive
service, supportive atmosphere, and the
ability to assess progress all point to
the importance of a collective vision and
ownership on the part of the entire campus,
including administration, faculty, staff,
and especially students. Leadership and
faculty ownership are key variables in
a successful equation, and messages sent
down from the top are criti-cal to support
from underneath.
Tinto (1993) offers a very useful set
of action principles for implementation
of a retention program:
- Institutions should provide resources
for program development and incentives
for program participation that reach
out to faculty and staff alike.
- Institutions should commit themselves
to a long-term process of program
devel-opment.
- Institutions should place ownership
for institutional change in the
hands of those across the campus
who have
to implement that change.
- Institutional actions should
be coordinated in a collaborative
fashion
to insure
a systematic, campus-wide approach
to student retention.
- Institutions should act to
insure that faculty and staff
possess
the skills needed to assist
and educate
their students.
- Institutions should front-load
their efforts on behalf of
student retention.
- Institutions and programs
should continually assess
their actions
with an eye to-ward
improvement.
As other models have established, the
importance of assessment, ownership, collabora-tion,
institution-wide coverage, and commitment
are essential to Tinto’s principles. In
addition, the development of appropriate
skills by the faculty and staff and the
principle of front-loading the program
for freshman students are acknowledged.
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