Report on Retention and Recruitment Committee work, (019a)

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Report on Retention and Recruitment Committee work,
Winter/Spring, 1996
Submitted to AdCil, October 1,1996 by Cheryl Keen, co-chair of both subcommittees
Recruitment Subcommittee members: Karen Shirley, Marianne Whelchel, Dan Friedman, and
Beth Moloney. Su Hallenbeck and Cheryl Keen, co-chairs
Retention Subcommittee members: Barbara Davis, Kad Mahle, Peter Townsend, Athena
Frederick, Todd Densmore, Megan Rosado, John Graham, Andrzej Bloch, Paul Herman, Kingsley Perry,
Jonathan Dudley, Cheryl Welch, Samantha Williams, and Susan Eklund-Leen. Cheryl Keen and Eric
Horsting, co-chairs with key assistance and guidance from Rie Weibl.
BACKGROUND
There have been many previous efforts to understand why students leave Antioch and to improve the
quality of student life. Katy Jako wrote a “withdrawal report” in I990 and Gath and Newmann in I984.
Recently, Eric Horsting chaired a “Retention Task Force” in the spring and summer of I995, taking
recommendations from the faculty, the Dean’s Group, and others to develop a college-wide plan of sort
and long term steps for 95-96. Their final report was submitted in August, I995 and is attached. (You’ll
find that most of their suggestions have been implemented.) In Nov. I995, Jim Crowfoot brought a charge
to Adcil for a Retention and Recruitment Task Force. The charge for this group is also attached.
CREATING AN AGENDA for the Subcommittees
After an introductory event with a member of the Noel Levitz team, our first meeting was Field on Feb. 26,
I996. We decided to meet as two separate sub-committees,unless otherwise called for. We began our
process by committing to read background articles and Antioch withdrawal reports.
Retention Committee
The Retention Committee was oriented on March 6 by a Noel-Levitz’ consultant, Lana Low, regarding the
crucial role we could play and what some key factors were in retention and recruitment. She came back for
a second visit a month later to apply her suggestions to Antioch’s situation after a closer reading of our
data on retention and student satisfaction. (See Appendix 1)
We tried to avoid falling into an easy pattern of sitting among ourselves, repeating familiar lists of
things that could be changed at Antioch. We settled instead on a format of meeting every other week and
“consulting” key people in the institution, hearing what they and their offices were doing to enhance
retention and lending them feedback on what we were learning might be crucial, serving as a prod for
| closer examination of retention-related activities.The focus was on developing and refining strategies to
improve the overall educational experience for students on (and off) campus. It was usually difficult to get
consensus among committee members about what were crucial priorities. Despite our efforts to develop a
common knowledge base, which was complicated by the difficulty members experienced in completing
the suggested readings, we largely brought our particular insights and priorities to the table.
We started with those aspects of the institution that our readings and research suggested to us were most
crucial. Those we examined were:
Advising program and Academic Support
Orientation Committee
Co-op
Students of Color (joint meeting with Recruitment sub-comm.) (see Minutes, attached)
Recruitment Committee
The Recruitment Subcommittee tried to meet every other week. Su asked for help with implementing
Marketing Strategies such as faculty visits to high schools; finding new lists for direct mail; recruiting

4
students of colon and developing an effective volunteer plan for students, faculty and alumni; getting
faculty involved in converting applications to deposits. The Committee found itdifficult to work on the
needed projects, leaning towards brainstorming ideas instead. We also surfaced the importance of
advising Transfers as they enter. Charlie Hutchins of Noel-Levitz met with us at least twice to push hard for
a schedule of activities concerning applicants. That schedule is attached. He pushed hard for faculty
involvement. The committee structure doesn’t seem to lend the necessary format to accomplish what is
needed.
SUMMARY OF THE COMMITTEES’ RESPONSE TO THE CHARGES
In light of the seven charges we were given, we did
1. synthesize and use existing data,
2. recommend new data collection and analysis, help to coordinate activities of different groups on
campus,
3. met with relevant administrators and working groups
5. met in concert with relevant administrators and established working groups
7. Carry the work of this group to relevant committees
OVERVIEW OF RECOMMENDATIONS
RECOMMENDATION FOR CONTINUING THE WORK
We don”t believe this committee structure Is what is needed to accomplish the tasks ahead. We suggest
a subcommittee of PSG, perhaps with a few members of last year’s retention committee, take on the
following charges:
1. continue to use and synthesize existing data
2. continue to consider new data collection and analysis
3. maintain an overview of the College’s R&R effort and help coordinate the activities of different areas
4. help coordinate activities of relevant rhajors, offices and campus groups to strengthen efforts to achieve
improvements
5. Occasionally ask groups to participate in and lead retention and recruitment activities
6. communicate regularly to constituents on campus the college’s priorities, progress, problems, and
results in improving retention and recruitment.
To accomplish this goal, PSG might call a meeting each term, as we did for Datatel prep and Calendar
transition.asking all offices to send a couple reps and report progress on key activities and goats, working
to keep Retention high on everyone’s agenda and a central campus concern. A great deal needs done in
the next several years • we need to make these plans concrete, assign tasks, establish benchmarks, etc.
OVERALL RECOMMENDATIONS
1 .Strive to balance efforts to recruit and retain. While we want to bring in more students, we want to meet
the needs of the ones we have. We also have to consider the cost of recruiting a class.
2. Make full use of new strategy designed through Noel Levitz consultation (improving the inquiry pool,
qualifying the inquiry pool, Implementing the multi-contact communication plan, telecounseling for
multiple and sustained contact with high priority applications, retraining of admission and FA staff, making
full use of new recruitment material, based on Market Position Analysis) Take advantage of viewbook and
search piece, completed after significant research.
3.Continue to resolve the issues surrounding financial aid. Close the loop between what a student hears
from admissions and financial aid.
4.Affordability – make best use of new policy of eariy estimating of financial aid.
S.Continue to improve campus climate
6.lncrease accountability and follow-through on campus. Avoid endlessly discussing the same issues
over and over again. Hold individuals accountable for providing the kinds of services we say we offer
students and don’t offer things we can’t provide. Institute staff evaluations at all levels to support
accountability.
7. Focus on students’ needs when they approach all our offices for assistance. One stop shopping,
smiles, helpfulness, student-centeredness.

#
8.Articulate a vision and strategic plan for Antioch College for 2000 and beyond. This will mobilize the
hope, motivation, skills choices and committed work to continue to develop and improve the College.
9-insure continuity of the planned curriculum
10.improve physical plant, particularly the dormitories, library, etc.
11.Continue to offer training and workshops on multicultural issues on campus.
12.Work to increase staff and faculty morale (pay raises) as well as civility and mutual respect
13.uphold the honor code
14.Continue to smooth out rough edges in transition to new calendar and curriculum
15.Generate excitement about summer blocks in the students who will be with us then
16.Continue to address issue of faculty critiquing the college in public
17.work to keep the quality of instruction, course content, and experiences of intellectual growth strong
and vigorous.
18. Be cautious of any changes that would distract us from refining our current, new efforts
19.Ask each administrative area of the college to adopt goals and actions that contribute to improving
retention. Report out on these goals twice a term at PSG. Plan and develop ways to obtain student
feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of services being offered by each area. Doing this assumes
that improving retention is the work of everyone at the College and that each operating area has the
potential of making important contributions.
20.Continue to expand information gathering analysis, feedback and related problem solving specific to
retention through IR and IR’s assistance to departments and administrative areas. Continue to understand
what types of students succeed at Antioch and who we want to recruit.
21.Require SAT or ACT scores on the application, not for admissions decisions, but to help us with our
research on who succeeds here and to qualify us for some of the national surveys of “best” colleges.
Same goes for requiring a core high school curriculum.
22. Continue to examine “community” at Antioch – what does it mean, do we live up to it, what can further
it, does it improve student quality of life?
23. Make sure that the college community knows the value of the Noel-levitz consultation
GOALS:
1 .Further develop Antioch College as a learning environment that attracts students for whom it is a good fit
and meets their needs over 4-5 years until graduation.
2. Improving student perceptions of their class, coop, and community experiences.
3. Increase retention 2% a year in the first and second year classes for the next 6-7 years, striving for a
graduation rate of 60% in the year 2004 or before. (See Appendix 2.)
RECOMMENDATIONS IN SPECIFIC AREAS WE CONSIDERED
Note: much of what appears below was accomplished by individual departments, but fits within the
framework of the committees’ discussions. It is difficult to report on the work of the committee without
drawing attention to efforts across the college. In addition, there is much work of individual offices that is
not reported here.
CONVERTING APPLICATIONS TO DEPOSITS AND INCREASING APPUCANT POOL
Done:
More than 20 faculty made more than 200 phone calls to applicants.
Still in works:
Developing strategies for advising transfer students – credits transfer and financial aid
establishing articulation agreements
Working with special constituencies – Quakers, Unitarians, AFS returnees, high schools that teach
Japanese, “open”, arts and global studies magnet high schools
Not Yet tried (see Su H’s memo of April 17,1996)

4
1. Encouraging a sense of partnership among all campus constituencies in recruiting, esp. introducing
new or prospective students to the campus.
2. Establishing a real diversity recruiting effort, esp. with regard to students of color.
3. investigating possible grants for K-16 initiatives around school-to-work and school-to-college programs
4. Get faculty to interact with high schools faculty in schools systems that are moving towards “Antiochian”
curriculum.
5. Get advisors or faculty members to contact high school teachers to let them know how their former
students are doing, thus creating a positive perception of the college and helping high schools determine
which of their students might do well at Antioch
6.Studying attrition stats to see if those who come for a campus visit graduate 4-5 years later, etc.
7. Taking students on the road with admissions counselors
8. Ask current students to write to their former guidance counselors regarding their experiences t Antioch
ADVISING AND ACADEMIC SUPPORT
Done:
•Devoting Assoc. Dean’s work to advising and assessment
-Train new first year advisors
-Support advisors (funds committed for this purpose)
-Increase in early submission of Degree Plan and declaring majors – up since new curriculum was launched
and APRC has gotten firmer
-Clarity in what need to do to get out – as a result of pushing advisors to get degree plans
•Fee structures are encouraging students to use time wisely
•Tuition free semester attracts students to finish, look forward to free term.
•Saved the Writing Center from cuts after learning of its contribution to retention and of strong support By
students. Merged with learning lab for Learning Center
-Increasing faculty referrals to students to use Learning Center
-Get files ready for advisors to see, urge advisors to read files
-Get major area of study preference to advisors
-Get record of transfer credit to Advisors in time to prepare for Advising Night
-Don’t casually use students to exercise/exploreA/ent our concerns or doubts about the institution
-Profile those students who leave. (Rie Weibl is preparing a questionnaire to continue collecting the data.)
Adopt a Hall – this is being tried right now, given that most first year faculty advisors have students
centered on a hail.
-Studied the retention rates (in first two years) of advisors and interview for key practices
-Revised catalog and Academic Policy and Procedures Handbook so they are more user friendly for both
students and advisors
•Preregistration 58% last winter (and we had just as many drop-adds when we had few preregistrations
Sp96)
•Focusing students on doing a better job in courses they have,when you require quicker completion of
incompletes
-Calling students who are “no shows” to find out if they may return, forwarding those calls to DoS.
-Maximize access to student space (computer labs, etc.)
Still in the works:
-Treat students with respect when they come to offices
-Plan well, avoid crisis mentality
-Listen to People, Deliver the goods, meet expectations
-finding effective form for spring preregistration
•a more effective advising evaluation
•fuller use of early warning system (now used by 1/3 the faculty)
•Consider and set course size cap to respond to students’ expectations of small classes
-Making sure all faculty are on campus with available office hours on drop/add and other deadlines.
Not yet tried:

t
-Common advising hours that don’t conflict with courses
-Asking faculty to write new advisees over the summer
•Assess the appropriateness of our new “g” courses for first year students. Are gaps between first and
four year students creating an environment either too challenging or not challenging enough?
•Do a study of those who go on AEA programs. Do students who go elsewhere to study tend to stay
through graduation? Will the new cap on exporting tuition affect retention?
-N-L recommended Peer advising for first year students – match them up with an upper class student
first-year seminar, one credit to help orient students (done in earlier years with questionable results.)
-Scheduling courses so that one block is only 300-400 level courses, so that there can be some first year
student orientation activities.
-Pre register students on co-op by phone
-Study effects of Tuition-free term on retention of new students
ORIENTATION AND STUDENT LIFE
Done
-Establish a committee, get buy-in from all departments, have one office take responsibility
(partially successful, pattern set for next year)
•Registrars, business office, and housing get together to catch students falling between the cracks
-Building a culture of avoiding runaround by making a call or connection for the student while he/she is in
your office, rather than exuding flexibility and urging them to figure out how to solve their problem.
-Make sure they know we are waiting for them.
high level of hospitality, name tags.smooth registration, smooth schedule.
good student leadership, quick, effective powerful community building • successful
•Residential Halls – some improvements, but more needed
-Quick response to clean up, small vandalism (went down last year)
-two pronged effort on DoS staff and HAs to respond to destruction of living environment, quickly and
forceful.
•quick intervention when DoS hear about unhappy or problematic students so students know their
options
-With Registrars, redesigning withdrawal process. First contact the DoS. Already turned around half of the
students who saw the DoS. Found new groups to establish a sense of belonging.
-General effort to build a community of respect. Generating excitement about that notion.
Still in works:
-Suggested follow-up orientation activities throughout the fall on the curriculum, co-op, community,
participation, value of an Antioch Education, community service.
•Ease entry into lUGs. Move in an every widening circle of belonging from admission, to residence hall, to
advisor, to course instructors, to lUGs, to co-op.
-Extending community sen/ice into campus life Promote growth, bonding, with one focus on the living
environment – taking care of one’s own space.
-the 1995 Retention report suggested having weekly hall meetings to address problems and
opportunities. Have we done that?
STUDENTS OF COLOR
Done
•Financial support secured for programming around issues
-Quick responses to racially disruptive incidents on campus
-Nipping problems In the bud before incidents disrupt quality of campus life
•Inviting back alumni of color who have volunteered to visit, offer programs.
-Checked data to confirm that our retention of students of color is about the same as Caucasians over the
past few years, yet satisfaction lags behind.
•Advisor training included consideration of needs and concerns of students of color
Stiil in works:

*
•Make it a welcoming and safe environment
•Undoing Racism work
-Big events to celebrate diversity and a bring people across borders
-People’s Institute coming twice.
•Connecting with other colleges in area to pool resources so there are more activities
-Efforts to reduce sense of contentiousness of campus. Help people feel welcome. Reduce sense of
jadedness in those who’ve been here along time.
Yet to be Tried:
– faculty mentoring for students of color
-collecting exit interview data by race
CO-OP
Done
-Calendar change enables first year students to return to campus after one, not two co-ops.
-Co-op Day to celebrate return
-Solidify a cycle of planning, implementing and evaluating and crediting that gets the most learning from
each stage.
-Not allowing evaluating and crediting to drag on so it only becomes a bureaucratic process. Keep focus
on learning
-Substituted new format for the Co-op seminar which was not well received.
-More user-friendly forms
-packaging resume kit on disc, giving students a chance to be increasingly responsible and-connect with
their post-Antioch experience
-General work on quality of co-op program
-Co-op advisor’s relationship with advisee at center of everything, (no longer passed to geographic job
supervisor. Keeping placement and counseling in relationship with advisor and student.
-Being more user friendly towards own plans. Learning comes first, not where job comes from.
-Solidifying relationships with important employers, in light of new calendar
-Getting positioned to use WWW to stay in touch with students on co-op
-Sending the Record to students on co-op
•Postcards to co-oping students from their advisor
-Calls to co-oping students by co-op office
-Links with academic advisors of first year students established
Still in works:
– cleaning up job list. 290 jobs now.was 400-500 jobs
-finding more support for all students while on Co-op in cities where alums reside, etc.
•addressing number of desirable positions, easing securing of satisfactory positions, offering support
while on co-op, and clarifying reasonable expectations for support on co-op
•Smoothing transition back to campus. It will never be the same “home” they left 4 months ago.
Not yet tried:
-a study of who drops out after what kinds of co-op experiences
•Find a source of travel money for cross-cultural experiences once the Pierson-Lovelace grant runs out
-look for places in cities that co-op students can access e-mail.
DAT AT EL
While the committee did not review the Datatel effort, we suggest its benefits be maximized, it will support
many of the efforts already mentioned, such as hopes to cut runaround, to give faculty fuller info for
advising, to give students quicker and clearer info about where they stand in relationship to requirements,
to get billings sent out quicker so they can see if they can come. The more info students have, the better
decisions they can make

/
APPENDIX1
Summary of the Student Satisfaction Inventory
areas of greatest importance to our students, in order Instructional effectiveness, academic advising,
student centeredness, campus climate, concern for individual, service excellence, campus support
services, recruitment and financial aid
Greatest performance gaps, in order – Recruitment and financial aid, campus climate, campus support
services, instructional effectiveness, student centeredness
smallest performance gaps – safety and security, concern for the individual, service excellence,
registration excellence
APPENDIX 2
HAVE WE BEEN EFFECTIVE?
RETENTION: It is difficult to measure the results of any individual effort to recruit and retain students.
We loose most of our students by the end of their first year. We have slowed a trend of attrition that
had steadily dropped since I985 when 15% left after a year. 34% of the class that entered in I994 left by
the Fall of I995. Current figures suggest that attrition of the class that entered in Fall 95 has dropped to
31% by Fall I996. These figures suggest we have reversed a trend of increasing attrition within the first
year. (We still don’t have confirmation of registration on all students scheduled to co-op, but they have
been contacted by phone and the co-op department has confidence in their completing registration.)
The most positive news is that the rate of attrition among transfers who entered in the fall of I994 is
by far the lowest it had been in 4 years. (by the end of the second year of the class that entered in 1991,
29% had left; I992,41%; 1993,44%; 1994,47%; and 1995,29%!) This figure results from a surprising
drop in the number of I995 entrant transfers who withdrew before their second year.although we should
expect some increase in this number of currently co-oping students fail to register.
Similarly, attrition after the second year has slowed. In the last three years it has been a 18%,
17% and now 16%. However, the class that entered in I994 withdrew in large numbers after their first year
(34%) so the cumulative attrition for that class is already 50%. The picture is brighter when one considers
that most of the students that APRC and the Registrars formally withdrew because they hadn’t met
expectations of their probation were among the class that entered in I994. This suggests that we will hold
a greater percent of them through their third and fourth years.
Of the class that entered in I989, given 6 years to complete graduation requirements, 47% graduated. We
should expect a significant drop In the percent of graduates (perhaps lower than 41%) who entered in
l992,some of whom graduated this spring. 59% of them had already dropped out by Spring I996, in
higher than average numbers after their second and third years. It looks as if 45% of the class that
entered in I993 may graduate, it is important to keep in mind that retention rates and graduation rates are
dropping nationally and that colleges like Antioch are experiencing similar drops. It may take until the year
2004 to reach a goal of 60% graduation rate. Antioch’s graduation rate has been about 50% since the
1920s, according to Peter Townsend’s careful study.
Charts holding these figures are attached.

&
Recruitment & Retention Task Force
Minutes from Joint Meeting
5/23/96 •
The R&R TF met jointly to discuss and consider issues relating to the recruitment and
retention of students of color at Antioch. Jimmy Williams, Director of Multicultural
Student Affairs, responded to questions regarding the recent memo from students of
color, and also discussed several areas that need to be addressed on campus to
improve both recruitment and retention of students of color.
Among Jimmy’s concerns were the following:
1. The Office of Multicultural Affairs does not currently have a budget. The Office will
be funded in 1996-97, and the following programs are among those being planned:
• involving alumni/ae of color in on-campus life to help with
• obtaining financial support for programming and other campus issues
relating to students of color
• serving as mentors for students of color
• holding a Black Alumni reunion to get alums of color back to campus
• creating a Black and Latino/a newsletter for students on campus and
for alumni/ae
• creating and encouraging leadership opportunities for students of color
• increasing involvement with the People’s Institute
• increasing awareness of and participation in Undoing Racism
2. Orientation Issues
• need to develop programs for new and for returning students
• need to provide tools and discussion for students to help them understand
and deal with racism (on campus and on Coop, as well as in the world at
large)
• need to continue discussions and programs throughout the academic year
3. Advising Issues
• advisors need to anticipate needs and concerns of students of color and be
prepared to assist and/or provide appropriate referrals
• advisors need to deal effectively with social, academic and personal
concerns, particularly those of students of color and for students who are
first-generation in college
The committe also addressed several concerns and suggestions relating to
recruitment and retention of students of color.
• faculty and staff need development and training; need to learn how to deal
with racism in order to help students
• need to look at retention data for students of colon what does this
information tell us?
• need to improve advising for ail students

• need to examine and provide supports for students of color while they are on
Coop. Can we find ways to link students with alumni of color in the cities
where they are cooping?
• exit interview data is not coded by race; we don’t know specific reasons why
students are leaving, regardless of ethnicity. However, there is a lot of
anecdotal evidence (when students talk wjth advisors or particular
individuals they know on staff, etc.).
• data from current students seems to provide support for the need to improve
the experience of students in general, and for students of color in particular
(data supplied by Office of Institutional Research and based upon the
Student Satisfaction Inventory administered Spring 1995 and Winter 1996).
• impact of campus climate/culture. Antioch is a very contentious place.
Difficult to fit in or feel welcome as a newcomer; people who’ve been here
any length of time (students, faculty, staff, adminstration) seem to get very
jaded.
• some challenge/conflict is good, but have we gone beyond what is
useful?
• Antioch sets high expectations for itself; makes it harder to achieve or
live up to our standards.
• general lack of accountability or follow-through on campus; often end
up discussing the same ideas or problems over and over again but no
one ever seems to do anything about them.
• students aren’t made to feel “special” here
• students need and want support (social, academic, career, etc.) but
don’t tend to get it.
• we talk about encouraging students to push the envelope and
accept new challenges, but don’t provide any structure or
guidance for doing so.
• we need to know: what is the vision for Antioch?
• what do we do between 5pm and 9am to help students?
• Student Services staff too small
• not much student-faculty interaction (very few faculty have students
visit their homes, few faculty come back to campus for events
involving students, etc.).
• possible to hire recent graduates to serve as HACs (part-time) and
also to serve as liaisons between students, faculty, administration?
They could help pass on a more positive culture.
The major recommendation that came out of this meeting at this time was to have the
President’s Staff Group examine the progress of individual units toward goals relating
to the campus multicultural climate and report back to the full community about that
progress.
submitted by Su Hallenbeck
May 24,1996

%
ANTIOCH COLLEGE CUMULATIVE ATTRITION RATES BY TERM, 1990-96
Numbers and percents of Fall entrants who withdrew, by effective term of withdrawal from Antioch
Fall
Entered
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
#
Entered
177
230
225
248
207
194
192
177
230
225
248
207
194
192
177
230
225
248
207
194
192
177
230
225
248
207
194
192
1st qtr
fall
2nd qtr
winter
3rd qtr
spring
4th qtr
summer
Numbers withdrawn by term
13
12
10
13
13
14
1
13
13
17
18
23
18
25
24
31
33
30
19
12
7
17
12
4
10
Percents withdrawn by term
7%
5%
4%
5%
6%
7%
1%
7%
6%
8%
7%
11%
9%
14%
10%
14%
13%
14%
10%
7%
3%
8%
5%
2%
S%
5th qtr
fall
4
9
10
15
11
2%
4%
4%
6%
5%
Cumulative number withdrawn by term
13
12
10
13
13
14
1
26
25
27
31
36
32
51
49
58
64
66
51
63
56
75
76
70
61
67
65
85
91
81
Cumulative percent withdrawn by term
7%
5%
4%
5%
6%
7%
1%
15%
11%
12%
13%
17%
16%
Registrar’s office, SIS data 9/30/96
29%
21%
26%
26%
32%
26%
36%
24%
33%
31%
f34%
-*31%
38%
28%
38%
37%
39%
6th qtr
winter
6
7
6
10
7
3%
3%
3%
4%
3%
73
72
91
101
88
41%
31%
40%
41%
43%
7th qtr
spring
7
16
14
18
13
4%
7%
6%
7%
6%
80
88
105
119
101
45%
38%
47%
48%
49%
8th qtr
summer
2
5
9
0
3
1%
• 2%
4%
0%
1%
82
93
114
119
104
‘ 46%
40%
51%
48%
50%
9th qtr
fall
1
3
6
5
1%
1%
3%
2%
83
96
120
124
47%
42%
53%
50%
10th qtr
winter
2
1
6
2
1%
0%
3%
1%
–
85
97
126
126
48%
42%
56%
51%
11th qtr
spring
2
5
4
3
1%
2%
2%
1%
87
102
130
129
49%
44%
58%
52%
12th qtr
summer
0
1
0
2
0%
0%
0%
1%
87
103
130
131
49%
45%
58%
53%
13th qtr
fall
0
2
0
0%
1%
0%
87
105
130
49%
46%
58%
14th qtr
winter
1
1
1
1%
0%
0%
88
106
131
50%
46%
58%
15th+
spring*
3
3
2
2%
1%
1%
91
109
133
51%
47%
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ANTIOCH
JL Jtu N 1 V E R 5 I T Y
4
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT ANTIOCH COLLEGE
795 Livermore Street
Yellow Springs. Ohio 45387
Phone: 513-767-6490
i Fax: 513-767-6450
MEMORADUM
August 23, 1995
Revised
To: AdCil, President’s Staff Group, Faculty Executive Committee, ComCil, CM’s, and
Dean of Student’s Staff
From: Retention Task Force . ELr’.c Uarshr/j tcMt\r
Subject: Suggested Retention Goals For 1995-96
We have been meeting about every two weeks since graduation. We have reviewed available data
concerning the experiences of Antioch students, their levels of satisfaction/dissatisfaction, and
reasons students give for leaving the College prior to graduation. We have also initiated short term
actions directed to improving retention. These short term actions include:
• suggestions to orientation planners
• suggestions to the Dean of Faculty
• preparation of a summary of Registrar’s data on historic Antioch attrition data
• preparation of summer mailings to returning students
We also have been giving attention to needed longer term actions to improve retention. After
brainstorming, discussion and review, we recommend that you consider the following 1995-96
goals for improving retention at the College as you do planning for your work. We realize
effective action will require that you determine specific objectives and activities within your area of
responsibility which will contribute to realizing the ten suggested 1995-95 goals.
We intend to follow-up with you to determine the goals and objectives you decide to pursue to help
Antioch improve student retention.
To assist us we would appreciate your communicating to us a copy of your plans for 95-96 along
with any other questions or reactions you have to the following proposed goals.
SUGGESTED 1995-96 GOALS TO IMPROVE RETENTION
Culture
1. Continue and initiate new actions to improve the overall climate and culture of the College to be
one characterized by:
• greater mutual respect and civility,
• greater support of the Honor Code and Mission, and
• reduced destruction of property, threats to individuals and substance abuse.

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Calendar change
2. Develop plans and actions to continue their progress toward achieving calendar change. It is
important that each administrative area, faculty area, and the faculty as a whole work to achieve
effective implementation of the new calendar. This recommendation recognizes calendar
change along with accompanying curriculum development and improvement, planning and
implementation of educational assessment and development of administrative and student
services as potential positive contributions to retention. Calendar change will be a means of:
• gaining greater balance in numbers of on-campus and off-campus students,
• making effective use of educational programs and physical resources,
• creating and maintaining two divisions of students which will allow greater continuity in
student relationships, and
• maintaining longer time blocks for on campus study and community
experiences and for co-op work experiences and other off-campus educational experiences
accomplishing calendar change which improves the effectiveness of our educational
programs will require major actions including:
a. The Dean of Faculty, APC and Faculty in the 8 majors complete planning for new majors
including:
• needed new courses and revision of existing courses for the semester system,
• assessment to provide ongoing evaluative feedback to document educational outcomes
and to identify needed improvements,
• connection of the major with co-op jobs and experiences and with service learning
• connection with the community part of Antioch’s educational program,
• recruitment of new students interested in the major, and
• assist students in the major in pursuing graduate study and/of jobs after
graduation
b. The Dean of Faculty’s office along with faculty leadership provide an orientation to assist
in the transition from the present curriculum/calendar to the new curriculum/calendar for all
members of the community including co-op employers, alumni, other external supporters
c. The Dean of Faculty along with a designated faculty subgroup, and ultimately all faculty
complete the development of the community part of Antioch’s tripartite educational
program. This will build on work begun by the faculty during 1994-95 and needs to
include student ideas and priorities.
d. The Director of Co-op, and Co-op faculty, staff and supporting classroom faculty complete
planning and implementation of needed new jobs,-improvements in services, changes in
staffing times, etc. which will be required by the new curriculum and calendar.
3. Plan and implement new means for the College to remain in regular communication with
students who are co-oping or other wise off of campus. This should be done by means of
coordinated:
a. face-to-face contact by alumni, co-op faculty, and other traveling faculty, staff and
administrators;
b. use of e-mail,
c. regular mailings of The Record, and
d. regular mailings of necessary administrative information
which is coordinated across offices

Residence Halls
4. Hall advisors to take the lead on facilitating weekly hall meetings that address both problems
and opportunities of hall residents. It is essential that the halls be places conducive to study and
learning about community as well as being satisfying places to live. These meetings could
include discussions of hall problems and accomplishments; important campus issues; and
interesting academic topics. Outside resource people of interest to residents could be included
in these meetings.
5. Expand interactions of individual halls with faculty, staff, administrators and alumni. Use such
involvement as a means of developing relationships, as an arena for discussing unmet needs
and other problems and as a means for enjoyable and stimulating activities.
Administrative Services
6. Each administrative area of the College adopt goals and actions that contribute to improving
retention. It is important to plan and implement ways to obtain student feedback on the
strengths and weaknesses of the services being provided by each area. This data will then
become the basis for future planning for improving services. Doing this assumes that
improving retention is the work of everyone at the College and that each operating area has the
potential of making important contributions. – . •,. .
Recruitment and Financial Aid •
7. Improve recruitment and financial aid strategies and practices and their integration. Doing this
recognizes that retention begins with recruitment and admissions.
Data and Analysis to guide Retention activities
8. Continue and expand information gathering, analysis, feedback and related problem solving
specific to improving retention. Continue the development of a data based capability to improve
retention and at the same time enhance the quality .of the Antioch educational experience.
Involve ongoing groups of students to learn about how they experience the College over time;
resume the data gathering to continue Katy Jako’s data set; and systematically survey recent
graduates.
Vision and Strategic Plan
9. Articulate a vision and strategic plan for Antioch College for 2000 and beyond. A strong future
orientation responsive to the opportunities and challenges faced by Antioch College is needed to
mobilize the hope, motivation, skills and committed work to continue to develop and improve
the College.
Yellow Springs
10. Encourage and support positive interactions between Yellow Springs alumni and citizens
(especially the neighbors of the College) with interested students.