Developing and Sustaining Successful First -Year Programs

First-year programs and interventions have become critical launching pads for student success and retention in higher education. However, these programs often flounder not because of what they are trying to do, but because of the ways in which they are implemented.

Developing and Sustaining Successful First-Year Programs offers faculty, academic administrators, and student affairs professionals a comprehensive and practical resource that includes step-by-step guidance for developing new first-year programs and enhancing existing programs. The book explores the key elements that contribute to sustained student success and the programs that have the capacity to continue to meet student needs while making the most of scarce resources. The authors show how to create and sustain critical partnerships, put in place the needed organizational structures, and include strategies for developing effective assessments and evaluations.

Developing and Sustaining Successful First-Year Programs is filled with illustrative examples and profiles of successful programs from a range of institutions that vary in size, type, selectivity, and culture. Examples of common programs and interventions include summer bridge programs, student orientation, first-year seminars, learning communities, residential programs, developmental education, and many more.

Based in scholarly literature, theory, and practice, the book highlights the initiatives that facilitate the transition, learning, development, and success of new college students.

Gerald M. Greenfield, a professor emeritus of history at University of Wisconsin, Parkside and long-time director of its teaching and learning center, spent seven years there as a senior administrator in academic affairs. Greenfield led the university's participation in the Foundations of Excellence in the First College Year and organized and chaired their initial First Year Committee. He is accredited as a peer evaluator for the Higher Learning Commission.

Jennifer R. Keup is the director of the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience® and Students in Transition and also serves as an affiliated faculty member in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policies in the College of Education at the University of South Carolina.

John N. Gardner is the senior fellow of the National Resource Center, distinguished professor emeritus at the University of South Carolina, and president of the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. Gardner is the author or coauthor of The Freshman Year Experience, Challenging and Supporting the First-Year Student, Helping Sophomores Succeed, The Senior Year Experience, and Achieving and Sustaining Institutional Excellence for the First Year of College.

Preface by John N. Gardner xi

The Authors xvii

Acknowledgments xxiii

Introduction: Where Have We Been, and Where Are We Going? xxvii

1 High-Impact Pedagogies 1

2 Summer Bridge Programs 21

3 New Student Orientation 43

4 Advising 67

5 First-Year Seminars 89

6 Learning Communities 113

7 Residential Learning Programs 136

8 Developmental Education 157

9 Early Alert Warning Systems 179

10 Probation Initiatives 202

11 Peer Leadership 224

12 Second-Year Transitions 249

Conclusion: Lessons Learned 271

References 277

Index 319