Date of Award

Spring 2012

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Educational Foundations & Leadership

Program/Concentration

Higher Education

Committee Director

Dennis Gregory

Committee Member

Keith Moore

Committee Member

David Hager

Abstract

Enrollment management practices clearly influence college student success. Retention and graduation rates are critical measures for institutions of higher education, particularly measures involving increased first-year retention rates, four-year graduation rates, and six-year graduation rates. Improving student success is paramount concern for college and university leaders. This concern has yielded a body of literature addressing the role of enrollment management in higher education as well as the development of various college student success programs. Specifically within the overarching concept of enrollment management are transition strategies which influence college student success.

The purpose of this study was to understand the influence of enrollment management transition strategies on college student success at large, public U.S. higher education institutions as categorized by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education (2010). Minimal research exists regarding the use of enrollment management transition strategies on the first-year retention rate and the four- and six-year graduation rates. Therefore, this study was intended to further higher education's understanding of these strategies.

Data for this quantitative study were derived from an online survey which was disseminated to chief enrollment officers at large, public U.S. higher education institutions as categorized by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education (2010). The number of respondents was 87, which was a 45% response rate. An analysis of variance, Pearson's Product Moment Coefficient, Dependent t-test for Paired Samples, and descriptive statistics were used for statistical analysis. All data were self-reported by the chief enrollment officer or their designee at these surveyed higher education institutions.

While the findings did not clearly indicate statistically significant findings regarding the relationship of enrollment management transition strategies on college student success, the data garnered from the study was indicative of a relationship between the enrollment management transition strategy employed and the change in the first-year retention rate and the four-year graduation rate at these institutions surveyed. Further, the study indicated that additional research with students and faculty should be conducted so as to capture the full breadth of the influence of enrollment management transition strategies on college student success.

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DOI

10.25777/h40e-xs45

ISBN

9781267349019

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