REAL OUTREACH: A Practical Guide to Retaining and Graduating College Students

Real Outreach

A Practical Guide to Retaining

and Graduating College Students

By Ezella McPherson, Ph.D.

Written by: Ezella McPherson © 2021

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by means of electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise by any means without the written permission of the author.

Disclaimer: This book is the author’s account of actual events and she has put in the best efforts to accurately recount the actual stories. The names of the actual people have been changed to pseudonyms out of respect for their professional identities.

ISBN: 978-0-578-89383-9

Dr. McPherson Coaching LLC

Detroit, Michigan

www.drmcphersoncoaching.com

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021907756

1.College Students 2. Higher Education Administration 3. Academic Development Counseling 4. Self Help 5. Student Success 6. Motivational 7. College Graduation 8. Adult and Continuing Education

Table of Contents

Dedication

Preface

Chapter 1. My Story and Retention Experience

Chapter 2. Academic Advising

Chapter 3. Academic Success Coach

Chapter 4. Mentoring

Chapter 5. Student Organizations

Chapter 6. Employment Opportunities

Chapter 7. Technology

Chapter 8. Creating a Paper Trail and Report Writing

Chapter 9. Real Outreach:

A Successful Student Retention and Graduation Model

Chapter 10. Conclusion

References

Biography

Book Synopsis

Dedication

This book is dedicated to everyone who desires to make a difference in the lives of college students to help facilitate their retention and graduation. You inspire all of us to be change agents in the lives of our students.

Preface

Although higher education institutions are making great strides toward enrolling students in college, retention and graduation of students remain a challenge. Student retention begins when students enter the university at orientation, continues each term as their studies continue, and ends when the students graduate. There are multiple reasons why some students stay in college while other students leave. However, few scholars or practitioners have written practical guides about successful retention and graduation programs or models.

As a student retention and graduation expert, I have designed a practical guide to help administrators, faculty members, staff, students, and families understand the ongoing needs of college students to help students not only persist in their studies but also graduate from college. The book begins with my story and retention experience. Following that, each chapter outlines a key component of a resource to support and facilitate student retention and graduation. These key support systems include academic advisors, academic success coaches, mentors, student organizations, employment opportunities, and technology. I also discuss the importance of creating a paper trail and report writing. The final chapter outlines a strategic approach that I use to support college students. I call this successful retention and graduation model Real Outreach.

Chapter 1

My Story and Retention Experience

I am an African American woman first-generation college graduate. I was afforded the opportunity to attend my first college choice, the University of Michigan (U of M) –Ann Arbor, for my undergraduate degree. I attended the U of M Residential College during my freshman year, which allowed me to take smaller classes with my peers in the East Quadrangle dorm. During my freshman year, my first assigned reading was a nearly 400-page book entitled A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League. The book tells the story of an African American man, Cedric Jennings, from Washington, DC. He was admitted to and chose to attend the