Achieving and Sustaining Institutional Excellence for the First Year of College

It has been documented that a student who makes a successful transition in the first year of college is more likely to persist and graduate. In recent years, efforts to improve the experience of first–year college students have greatly improved.
In 2002, the Policy Center on the First Year of College (supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Atlantic Philanthropies, and Lumina Foundation for Education) sponsored a project to recognize colleges and universities as "Institutions of Excellence" in their design and execution of the first year. Thirteen colleges and universities—representing a broad spectrum of campus types—were selected as exceptional institutions that place a high priority on the first–year experience. Achieving and Sustaining Excellence in the First Year of College includes case studies of each of the thirteen exemplary institutions. These studies illustrate and analyze the colleges’ best practices in teaching, assessing, and retaining first–year college students. The individual case studies offer lessons learned and have broad potential application beyond the particular type of institution represented.

Spis treści:
Foreword.
Preface.
Acknowledgments.
About the Authors.
1. On Being Named an Institution of Excellence in the First College Year: The Process and the Places.
2. Research Methods.
Part One: Case Studies of Two–Year Institutions.
3. The Community College of Denver: A Second Family for the First–Year Student (Marc Cutright, Randy L. Swing).
4. LaGuardia Community College: A Window on the World (Betsy O. Barefoot, Michael J. Siegel).
Part Two: Case Studies of Four–Year Institutions with Fewer Than 2,000 Students.
5. The First Year at Eckerd College: Responsible Innovation (Stephen W. Schwartz, Michael J. Siegel).
6. Kalamazoo College: No Stone Left Unturned (Stephen W. Schwartz, Randy L. Swing).
Part Thr ee: Case Studies of Four–Year Institutions with 2,000 to 5,000 Students.
7. Drury University: Balancing Intellectual Rigor with Intrusive Personal Support in the First Year (Charles C. Schroeder, Randy L. Swing).
8. Elon University: Transforming Education Through a Community of Inquiry and Engagement (Libby V. Morris, Randy L. Swing).
9. West Point and the Plebe–Year Experience: The Long Gray Line (Michael J. Siegel, John N. Gardner).
Part Four: Case Studies of Four–Year Institutions with 5,000 to 10,000 Students.
10. Lehman College of the City University of New York: Excellence in the Bronx (John N. Gardner, Betsy O. Barefoot).
11. The First Year at Texas A&M University– Corpus Christi: Starting with a Clean Slate (Michael J. Siegel, Marc Cutright).
Part Five: Case Studies of Four–Year Institutions with 10,000 to 20,000 Students.
12. Appalachian State University: High Standards for the First Year in North Carolina’s High Country (John N. Gardner, Betsy O. Barefoot).
13. The Story of Ball State University: “Everything Students Need” (Randy L. Swing, Marc Cutright).
Part Six: Case Studies of Four–Year Institutions with More Than 20,000 Students.
14. Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis: Success and the City (Marc Cutright, Michael J. Siegel).
15. University of South Carolina: Creator and Standard–Bearer for the First–Year Experience (Libby V. Morris, Marc Cutright).
Part Seven: Conclusion.
16. Findings and Recommendations.
Epilogue: Foundations of Excellence in the First College Year.
Appendix A: All Participants in the Institutions of Excellence Study (N = 130).
Appendix B: Initial Letter of Invitation to Participate in the Institutions of Excellence Project.
Appendix C: Semifinalists.
Appendix D: Letter to Semifinalists.
Appendix E: Announcement Letter to Thirteen Institution s of Excellence.
Appendix F: Research Subject Information and Consent Form.
References.
Index.

Nota biograficzna:
Betsy Barefoot is co–director of the Policy Center on the First Year of College, and directed the publications center for the National Resource Center for The First–Year Experience and Students in Transition at the University of South Carolina for 11 years.
John Gardner is executive director of the Policy Center on the First Year of College and was the founder of the National Resource Center for The First–Year Experience and Students in Transition at the University of South Carolina. He has co–authored three other books with Jossey–Bass.
Marc Cutright is assistant professor of higher education at Ohio University and a research fellow of the Policy Center on the First Year of College.
Libby Morris is associate professor of higher education and interim director, Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia. She is editor of the Journal of Innovative Higher Education.
Charles Schroeder is a senior executive with Noel–Levitz and cofounder of Jossey–Bass′ About Campus magazine.
Stephen Schwartz is a visiting senior fellow at the Policy Center on the First Year of College.
Michael Siegel is a research associate for the Policy Center on the First Year of College.
Randy Swing is codirector of the Policy Center on the First Year of College.

Okładka tylna:
It has been documented that a student who makes a successful transition in the first year of college is more likely to persist and graduate. In recent years, efforts to improve the experience of first–year college students have greatly improved.
In 2002, the Policy Center on the First Year of College (supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Atlantic Philanthropies, and Lumina Foundation for Education) sponsored a project to recognize colleges and universities as "Institutions of Excellence" in their design and execution of the first year. Thirteen colleges and universities—representing a broad spectrum of campus types—were selected as exceptional institutions that place a high priority on the first–year experience. Achieving and Sustaining Excellence in the First Year of College includes case studies of each of the thirteen exemplary institutions. These studies illustrate and analyze the colleges’ best practices in teaching, assessing, and retaining first–year college students. The individual case studies offer lessons learned and have broad potential application beyond the particular type of institution represented.