Rethinking College Student Retention -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- About the Authors -- 1 Introduction: Rethinking College Student Retention -- Current Status of Theory on College Student Persistence -- Questions Pursued by This Book -- Retention and Persistence -- Part I Recommendations for Policy and Practice -- 2 State Policy and Student Success -- Structural Constraints -- State Economy and Budget -- Preparation of High School Graduates -- State Political Culture and Public Opinion -- Enrollment Ecology of the System of Higher Education -- Policy Levers -- Faculty -- Performance Funding -- Remediation and Gateway Courses -- Governance of Higher Education -- Funding Cost-Effective, Campus-Based Interventions -- Communication -- Conclusions and Questions for Policymakers -- Endnotes -- 3 Recommendations for Institutional Policy and Practice -- Recommendations for Institutional Policy and Action -- Overarching Levers of Action -- Faculty Selection Process -- New Faculty Orientation -- Faculty Reward System -- Residential Colleges and Universities: Multiple Levers for Institutional Action -- Administration and Governance -- Enrollment Management -- Faculty Teaching Role -- Institutional Research -- Residence Life -- Student Affairs Programming -- Student Orientation -- Commuter Colleges and Universities: Multiple Levers for Institutional Action -- Academic Advising -- Academic Programs -- Administration and Governance -- Enrollment Management -- Faculty Teaching Role -- Institutional Research -- Student Orientation -- In Summary -- Part II Theoretical and Research Context -- 4 Explaining College Student Persistence -- Economic Perspective -- Organizational Perspective -- Psychological Perspective -- Sociological Perspective -- Tinto's Interactionalist Theory -- Tinto's Theory Empirically Appraised.

Support by Institutional Type for Tinto's Theory -- Common Attributes of the Two Theories -- 5 The Revision of Tinto's Theory for Residential Colleges and Universities -- The Revised Theory -- Ability to Pay -- Commitment of the Institution to Student Welfare -- Communal Potential -- Institutional Integrity -- Proactive Social Adjustment -- Psychosocial Engagement -- Narrative Form of the Revised Theory -- Analytical Cascading: Extensions of the Theory of Student Persistence in Residential Colleges and Universities -- Possible Sources of Influence on Psychosocial Engagement -- Possible Sources of Influence on Commitment of the Institution to Student Welfare -- Possible Sources of Influence on Institutional Integrity -- Chapter Summary -- 6 A Theory of Student Persistence in Commuter Colleges and Universities -- The Theory and Its Derivation -- Student Entry Characteristics -- The External Environment -- The Campus Environment -- Analytical Cascading: Extensions of the Theory of Student Persistence in Commuter Colleges and Universities -- Possible Sources of Influence on Academic and Intellectual Development -- Additional Possible Sources of Influence -- Possible Sources of Influence on Commitment of the Institution to Student Welfare -- Possible Sources of Influence on Institutional Integrity -- Possible Sources of Influence on Support of Significant Others -- Chapter Summary -- 7 Design of the Studies -- The Residential College and University Study -- Study Sample -- Research Design: Test of the Theory of Student Persistence in Residential Colleges and Universities -- Research Design: Analytical Cascading -- Data Analysis Design for Theory Testing and Analytical Cascading -- Limitations to the Residential College and University Study -- The Commuter College and University Study -- Study Sample.

Research Design: Test of the Theory of Student Persistence in Commuter Colleges and Universities -- Research Design: Analytical Cascading -- Data Analysis Design for Theory Testing and Analytical Cascading -- Limitations to the Commuter College and University Study -- Part III Key Factors in Student Persistence in Residential and Commuter Colleges and Universities -- 8 Student Persistence in Residential Colleges and Universities -- Our Test of the Revised Theory of Student Persistence in Residential Colleges and Universities -- Social Integration -- Subsequent Institutional Commitment -- Student Persistence -- Overall Appraisal of Empirical Support for the Revised Theory of Student Persistence in Residential Colleges and Universities -- Significant Influences on Psychosocial Engagement, Commitment of the Institution to Student Welfare, and Institutional Integrity -- Significant Influences on Psychosocial Engagement -- Communal Potential and Its Significant Sources of Influence -- Significant Influences on Commitment of the Institution to Student Welfare -- Significant Influences on Institutional Integrity -- In Summary -- Summary of the Test of the Revised Theory -- Summary of Findings from Analytical Cascading -- Implications for the Development of Policies and Practices -- 9 Student Persistence in Commuter Colleges and Universities -- Our Test of the Theory of Student Persistence in Commuter Colleges and Universities -- Academic and Intellectual Development -- Subsequent Institutional Commitment -- Student Persistence -- Overall Appraisal of Empirical Support for the Theory of Student Persistence in Commuter Colleges and Universities -- Significant Influences on Core Factors -- Significant Influences on Academic and Intellectual Development -- Significant Influences on Commitment of the Institution to Student Welfare.

Significant Influences on Institutional Integrity -- Significant Influences on the Support of Significant Others -- Forces That Make Family Members Feel Welcomed -- In Summary -- Summary of the Test of the Revised Theory -- Implications for Theory Revision -- Summary of Findings from Analytical Cascading -- Implications for the Development of Policies and Practices -- 10 Conclusions and a Call for Further Research -- Conclusions -- Implications for Theory -- Implications for Theory Revision: Residential Colleges and Universities -- Implications for Theory Revision: Commuter Colleges and Universities -- A Theoretical Possibility -- A Call for Further Research -- Closing Thoughts -- Endnotes -- Appendix A Design of the Studies Tables -- Appendix B Technical Appendix for Statistical Procedures -- Appendix C Multivariate Analyses Results Tables -- References -- Index -- Advert.