LuAnn Bean

Who Goes Who Stays: An Assessment of the Effect of a Freshman Mentoring and Unit Registration Program on College Persistence.

We present an evaluation of a freshman block registration and mentoring program at a major state university. In an effort to improve retention, the University initiated a freshman block registration and mentoring program in the fall of 1994. The program was developed to strengthen social support, which we hypothesize leads to higher rates of persistence. We present the effects of the program on retention and academic performance for successive cohorts from 1994 through 1998. Academic performance and retention rates are used as outcome measures and are related to student and university characteristics. We describe the nature of the program and the impact that it has on persistence (survival times), grades, and graduation. Our analysis uses event history models (follow back life tables and Discrete-Time Logit Models).

The Impact of Intercollegiate Athletics on Graduation Rates Among Major NCAA Division I Universities: Implications for College Persistence Theory and Practice

We explore the relationship between intercollegiate athletic program success and the institutional graduation rates of 97 of the 112 universities that compete in both NCAA Division 1A basketball and football. Our results suggest that successful intercollegiate sports programs often negatively impact institutional graduation rates.

The Impact of Intercollegiate Athletics on Graduation Rates among Major NCAA Division I Universities

One of the most pressing issues facing American universities is the number of students who fail to graduate. Low graduation rates cost universities scarce resources; weaken the ability to meet educational objectives; and are perceived to reflect the universitys ability to meet the educational, social, and emotional needs of students. Moreover, retention and graduation rates are a major component of national ranking schemes, such as the US News Annual Ranking of us Colleges and Universities. Although the use of retention and graduation rates as measures of performance indicators have been criticized (Astin, 1993; Ronco, 1994), many state legislatures and boards of higher education nevertheless link freshman retention and graduation rates to university budgets as a component of performance-based funding (Carnevale, Johnson, & Edwards, 1998). In addition, Federal Law requires colleges and universities to disclose their graduation rates along with campus crime rates as part of the Student Right to Know Act (Federal Register, December 1,1995).

Accounting for reengineering costs under EITF 97‐13

To cut costs, companies are increasingly reengineering and depending more on information technology. So Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) 97-13 will continue to be important for corporate strategic financial planners. But which companies does the standard affect most—and how?