New Models of Retention and Persistence in Higher Education: Global Perspectives

Higher education institutions around the world face growing challenges related to student retention, persistence, and long-term success. Traditional approaches, often based on narrow measures of academic performance, are increasingly insufficient for capturing the diverse experiences, needs, and pathways of today's learners. As higher education continues to evolve in response to demographic, technological, and societal changes, institutions must adapt to a rapidly shifting educational landscape. These developments are prompting a critical reassessment of how student success is defined, measured, and supported across the sector. Reimagining retention and persistence has therefore become essential for creating more inclusive, equitable, and effective pathways to student achievement. New Models of Retention and Persistence in Higher Education: Global Perspectives examines emerging approaches to student success that extend beyond traditional measures of academic performance and institutional effectiveness. Bringing together theoretical frameworks, empirical research, and practice-based insights, the book explores how higher education institutions can better support student retention, engagement, and persistence in increasingly diverse and complex learning environments. It highlights innovative strategies, inclusive policies, and evidence-based practices that address the evolving needs of contemporary learners across a variety of institutional and cultural contexts. Covering topics such as adult online education, Indigenous-centered frameworks, and translanguaging, this book serves as an essential resource for graduate and doctoral students, university administrators, student affairs professionals, student success specialists, enrollment management practitioners, instructional designers, educational researchers, policymakers, and others committed to advancing student success in higher education.

Rick Rantz recently retired as Dean, Academic Affairs at Allan Hancock College. His education background includes a teaching English as second language certificate, a master's degree in linguistics and bilingual education, and doctoral studies in higher education at Baylor University and the University of Houston. As a former K-12 teacher, he worked in California, Ecuador, and Argentina. At the higher education level, he has held executive positions at Feather River College, Sierra College, and Allan Hancock College. Rantz's research focuses on the digital divide, higher education leadership, higher education finance, collaborative learning, critical thinking, and bilingual immersion education. He is currently studying the impact of higher education curricula on culturally diverse and minoritized students and consults nationally on this topic.