An Exploration of University Student Services for Increasing Student Outreach and Retention

Voiceover

Presenter(s)

Dana Mallozzi

Abstract or Description

The college experience is continually evolving as new groups of students enter the university and schools look to engage them. Attracting and retaining students is understood to be critical to the success of higher education institutions. A phenomenon closely related to retaining first-generation and continuing-generation students is the student-parent experience. Accessible childcare is essential to institutions of higher education. It helps students go to college, graduate, find jobs, and earn more in their lifetime. It allows colleges to attract the best faculty and staff. It helps strengthen our nation through lasting economic and social benefits. The literature on college services is replete with references to studies examining programs that assist first generation students enter college, graduate, and contribute to society. Few investigations have evaluated programs that assist in retaining student parents. The Child Care Access Means Parents in School grant Program CCAMPIS is studied and cited in thinly dispersed education journals; and it remains little known. The majority of studies have approached the subject from an educational perspective; I am proposing a sociological study using qualitative methods to investigate the positive outcomes of the coalition between TRIO and CCAMPIS programs that often serve the same students and share the same goals in retaining them. This research design would consider the topic from a broader perspective, not just student's educational needs but also their human and social needs.