Understanding and Reducing College Student Departure

Student departure is a long-standing problem to colleges anduniversities. Approximately 45 percent of students enrolled intwo-year colleges depart during their first year, and approximatelyone out of four students departs from a four-year college oruniversity. The authors advance a serious revision of Tinto'spopular interactionalist theory to account for student departure,and they postulate a theory of student departure in commutercolleges and universities.This volume delves into the literature to describe exemplarycampus-based programs designed to reduce student departure. Itemphasizes the importance of addressing student departure through amultidisciplinary approach, engaging the whole campus. It proposesnew models for nonresidential students and students from diversebackgrounds, and suggests directions for further research.Academic and student affairs administrators seekingresearch-based approaches to understanding and reducing studentdeparture will profit from reading this volume. Scholars of thecollege student experience will also find it valuable in definingnew thrusts in research on the student departure process.