In the most recent , Vanderbilt University researchers Natalee M. Erb, Matthew S. Sinclair, and John M. Braxton examine how fostering a sense of community in residence halls impacts the retention of first-year students.
鈥淲e conducted this research to assist colleges and universities in their efforts to improve their institution's retention rate,鈥 said Braxton, professor of higher education in Vanderbilt鈥檚 Department of Leadership, Policy & Organizations. 鈥淲e hold the perspective that policy and practices are best when grounded in theory and research, as fidelity in implementation and modification is more likely to occur.鈥
According to the authors鈥 research, fostering three dimensions of community鈥 identity, interaction, and solidarity鈥攑ositively impacts retention. The article offers several examples and suggestions for how campuses can do so, through such efforts as architectural design, signage and symbols, traditional events, faculty support, and purpose-driven programming.
鈥淭he various residential policies and practices are already in place in many colleges and universities,鈥 Braxton said. 鈥淗opefully, this article helps practitioners to see that such policies and practices may also function as levers for increasing student persistence. Put differently, we are trying to make the familiar seem strange.鈥
In addition to other articles in include: 鈥淭he Retention Challenge鈥擲hould We Include Parents?鈥 by Brandy Mallory Cartmell, the University of Tennessee at Martin; 鈥淔ormalizing a Talent Management Strategy through a Competency Model Framework,鈥 by Tina J. Cajigas, Jane A. McGrath, and David H. Kalsbeek, DePaul University; and 鈥淢odeling Success: Using Pre-Enrolment Data to Identify Academically At-Risk Students,鈥 by Ann M. Gansemer-Topf, Jonathan Compton, Darin Wohlgemuth, Greg Forbes and Ekaterina Ralston, Iowa State University.