Achieving and Sustaining Institutional Excellence for the First Year of College

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.

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.