Assessing Leadership, Institutional Structure, and Student Retention

U.S. Department of Education allocates about $270,000,000 annually to TRIO Student Support Services programs. However, there has been little research on the specific factors which lead to the success of these programs. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether there were higher first year to second year student retention rates when TRIO/SSS directors possessed transformational leadership characteristics and when the TRIO/SSS project was more integrated into the host institutional structure. To examine these correlations, 209 TRIO/SSS directors in the Mid- America Association of Educational Opportunity Program region were asked to complete the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and a researcher-developed survey regarding each program s first to second year retention rates and the degree of project integration within the host institutional structure. Correlational and multiple regression analyses were performed using the SPSS software. The results of the statistical analysis showed no significant correlations between transformational leadership, project integration within the institutional structure, and first to second year student retention.

Autorentext

Valerie is an assistant professor of management in the business administration department at Bemidji State University. Valerie received her PhD in Business Administration with a specialization in management from Northcentral University. She has more than 20 years of practical management experience.