Student Retention in Colleges Changes Lives and Society: Problems, Concerns and Solutions

By Victor G. Stanley

Victor G. Stanley is professor emeritus of animal science in the college of agriculture and human sciences at Prairie View A&M University in Texas, where he taught in the faculty for thirty-six years. He served in the university as a tenured professor, research scientist, coordinator of the animal science program, and department head until his retirement in 2016.

Dr. Stanleys research area of expertise was in food safety, and the impact of his scientific work and papers can be found in leading poultry science publication journals and other outlets. Being the consummate research scientist, he was highly sought after in state, national, and international levels for his expertise in poultry nutrition and its effects on animal husbandry. He was a consultant to Alltech Company in the Kentucky and Sanderson Farms in Texas for many years. Dr. Stanley was the first to discover a biological control for aflatoxins, toxic metabolites produced by certain fungi, which affect the quality of grains used extensively in animal and poultry feeds.

Dr. Stanley taught several undergraduate and graduate courses for majors and nonmajors, including poultry science, animal breeding and genetics, and animal nutrition, and he is the recipient of numerous college and university awards for excellence in research, teaching, advising, and mentoring. At the end of his career at Prairie View A&M University, he has successfully mentored twenty-four students toward the PhD degree in the United States and Canada and, additionally, thirty-five students toward the pursuit of a DVM degree. Several of his former students have pursued graduate studies and professional degrees at Cornell University, Texas A&M University, Tuskegee University, and the University of Guelph. He is passionate about and committed to student growth and development in the college years and beyond.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 27, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543463866

Victor G. Stanley

Victor G. Stanley is professor emeritus of animal science in the college of agriculture & human sciences at Prairie View A&M University in Texas, where he taught on the faculty for thirty-six years. He served the university as a tenured professor, research scientist, coordinator of the animal science program, and department head, until his retirement in 2016. Dr. Stanleys research area of expertise was in food safety, and the impact of his scientific work and papers can be found in leading poultry science publication journals and other outlets. The consummate research scientist, he was highly sought after at the state, national, and international levels for his expertise in poultry nutrition and its effects on animal husbandry. He was a consultant to Alltech Company in Kentucky and Sanderson Farms in Texas for many years. Dr. Stanley was the first to discover a biological control for Aflatoxins, a toxic metabolite produced by certain fungi, which affect the quality of grains used extensively in animal and poultry feeds. Dr. Stanley taught several undergraduate and graduate courses for majors and non-majors, including poultry science, animal breeding and genetics, and animal nutrition, and is the recipient of numerous college and university awards for excellence in research, teaching, advising, and mentoring. At the end of his career at Prairie View A&M University, he has successfully mentored 24 students toward the Ph.D. degree in the United States and Canada, and additionally, 35 students towards the pursuit of a DVM degree. Several of his former students have pursued graduate studies and professional degrees at Cornell University, Texas A&M University, Tuskegee University, and the University of Guelph. He is passionate about and committed to student growth and development in the college years and beyond. Dr. Stanley is a native of Jamaica, The West Indies. He received his B.Sc. degree from Tuskegee University, MSc. Degree from Iowa State University, and studied for his Ph.D. under retired veteran and poultry scientist, Dr. Willie Frederick (Willie) Krueger, now deceased, who mentored him at Texas A&M University. Prior to joining the faculty at Prairie View A&M University, he served the Government of Jamaica and the Ministry of Agriculture as an Agricultural Officer. He is married to Mavis May Stanley (Demetrius) for 55 years, a retired civil servant also for the Government of Jamaica. He has two children, a daughter, Dr. Christine A. Stanley, professor of higher education and vice president and associate provost for diversity emerita at Texas A&M University, and a son, Dr. Robin-Charles Stanley who is a chiropractor and owner of First Choice Chiropractic in Dallas, Texas. He resides in College Station, Texas.

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Copyright © 2017 by Victor G. Stanley.

Library of Congress Control Number:            2017917062

ISBN:                Hardcover                     978-1-5434-6384-2

                          Softcover                       978-1-5434-6385-9

                          eBook                            978-1-5434-6386-6

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Rev. date: 11/22/2017

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CONTENTS

Purpose

Introduction

Retention Begins On The First Day

Finding The Classroom On The First Day

Retention, An Investment

Campus First Experience

Advisement In Course Selection And Student Retention

Course Substitution And Registration

Retention Is Everybody’s Business

Student’s First Semester On Campus

Course Scheduling And Retention

Faculty Integrity And Retention

Faculty And Student Awards And Retention

University Mission And Retention

Faculty Replacement, Job Security, And Student Retention

Student Loans And Retention

Mentoring And Retention

Social Involvement, Relationships, And Retention

Student Housing And Retention

Faculty Image, Outcome, And Retention

Student Retention And The Benefit To Family And Society

Summary

Recommendations

Acknowledgments

Autobiography

PURPOSE

Student retention varies greatly among colleges and universities, depending on the situation. According to the Institutional Research 2015 report, student retention rates vary from 94 to 84 percent for the 1862 colleges and universities, and from 74 to 34 for the Historical Black Colleges. Completing a college degree successfully is rewarding and beneficial as it can change lives. Failure to complete the degree can result in high financial hardship for the individual, as it can affect credit rating and loan acquisition. Student retention begins the first day on campus, starting with caring for the student, good mentoring, advisement, and support services. Therefore, the purpose of the book is to draw attention to the importance of student retention, the value of completing a college degree and to increase the awareness of the role of the partners involved, which are the student, staff, counselors, faculty, and college administrators.

INTRODUCTION

Student retention is currently a major problem for many colleges and universities, especially small and historically black institutions. Students are admitted twice per year, mainly at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters, with the greater number in the Fall. Based on my observations, recruitment is not the major problem, because the students are anxious to come to college, but not many stay until the completion of a degree. According to the Institutional Research 2015 report freshmen retention rates for 1862 Colleges and Universities vary from 94 to 84 percent, and for the 1890 Colleges and Universities, the retention rates vary from 74 to 34 percent. Low student retention places significant pressure on the recruitment process in order to build the enrollment for a sustained period. However, the key issue is the fact that not many students finish their degree, as reflected by the lower graduation numbers. Retention is not as costly as recruitment, in terms of operating expenses, since it is a campus environment problem. If the campus climate is attractive and receptive, then the students will come to visit and enroll without any special effort to intentionally recruit them. Recruitment, can coincidentally and magically serve as an end to several means, because it fulfills the anxiety of parents to send off their children which gets them away from home and out of the house and, for the students, it fulfills their anxiety for them to get away from home and to grasp some freedom from the watchful eyes of their parents. If the retention rate is high, then there is little need for the recruiter to leave the campus. The name of the institution and its image will bring students to the campus. The well regarded name and image of the institution, alone, will be enough to attract students locally, nationally and internationally. Great institutions with a re-known image and visible outcomes spend little time on the road to recruit students. Great institutions attract students, but not necessarily great students. Ordinary students will become