Higher education institutions have already begun to see decreasing enrollment numbers, even as higher education enrollment is predicted to drop precipitously starting in 2025. Much of the decrease in enrollment will be driven by demographic trends about which higher education institutions can do little, making the retention of students who do enroll that much more important. Overall retention rates have stagnated and differential retention rates by race and ethnicity have persisted. If higher education institutions, researchers, and policy makers are to improve retention rates, a critical examination of the current state and future directions of retention research is essential.This edited volume begins that examination by addressing several questions: What are the needed directions in theory and research on college student persistence and how do we translate new theory and research into effective practices? Are we asking the right questions, looking in the right places, or trying to apply out-of-date theories to new populations? In short, how can the research community help institutions improve retention in this challenging time?
John M. Braxton is a professor emeritus in the Higher Education, Education Leadership, and Policy Program, Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. He is also senior associate editor, Innovative Higher Education; a resident scholar, Tennessee Independent College and University Association; an affiliate scholar, USC Center for Enrollment Research, Policy and Practice; and a coprincipal, Community College Practice-Research-Policy Exchange. Professor Braxton has two research programs, one of which centers on the construction and testing of theory pertaining to college and university student persistence. He has published numerous publications on this topic in the form of articles, book chapters, and books. Most notable among these publications is his 2014 book with William Doyle and others, Rethinking College Student Retention (Jossey-Bass). Professor Braxton is the recipient of two awards for outstanding contributions to knowledge that advance the understanding of higher education: the research Achievement Award bestowed by the Association for the Study of Higher Education and the Contribution to Knowledge Award given by the American College Personnel Association. He is also a past president of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. Robert D. Reason is professor of higher education and student affairs in the School of Education (SOE) at Iowa State University. He currently serves as the associate dean for undergraduate academic affairs in the College of Human Science. Prior to joining the faculty at Iowa State in 2011, Reason was on the faculty at Penn State University, where he was also a senior scientist in the Center for the Study of Higher Education. Reason studies how college and university policies, the campus climate, and students’ experiences in college interact to influence student outcomes. Along with persistence through college, his research has focused on student learning outcomes during the first year of college. He has written a widely used text with Kristen Renn, titled College Students in the United States: Characteristics, Experiences, and Outcomes (Stylus, 2021).
