Nancy K. Martin is the associate
dean for undergraduate student success in the College of Education & Human
Development (http://coehd.utsa.edu/) at
the University of Texas at San Antonio (www.utsa.edu)
and an associate professor of Educational Psychology. E-mail:
nancy.martin@utsa.edu
Student
retention and graduation rates are a concern for universities across the
nation. As university leaders work to
facilitate student success, it is imperative that intangible, affective student
aspects be addressed in addition to objective, quantifiable variables. This essay considers the complexities of the
problem and presents a plan to increase undergraduate student retention and
graduation rates from a holistic perspective.
