In 2002, the Policy Center on the First Year of College (supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Atlantic Philanthropies, and Lumina Foundation for Education) sponsored a project to recognize colleges and universities as "Institutions of Excellence" in their design and execution of the first year. Thirteen colleges and universities—representing a broad spectrum of campus types—were selected as exceptional institutions that place a high priority on the first-year experience. Achieving and Sustaining Excellence in the First Year of College includes case studies of each of the thirteen exemplary institutions. These studies illustrate and analyze the colleges’ best practices in teaching, assessing, and retaining first-year college students. The individual case studies offer lessons learned and have broad potential application beyond the particular type of institution represented.

Table of Contents:
Foreword xiii Preface xxi Acknowledgments xxv About the Authors xxvii 1 On Being Named an Institution of Excellence in the First College Year: The Process and the Places 1 2 Research Methods 19 Part One: Case Studies of Two-Year Institutions 33 3 The Community College of Denver: A Second Family for the First-Year Student 35 Marc Cutright, Randy L. Swing 4 LaGuardia Community College: A Window on the World 59 Betsy O. Barefoot, Michael J. Siegel Part Two: Case Studies of Four-Year Institutions with Fewer Than 2,000 Students 85 5 The First Year at Eckerd College: Responsible Innovation 87 Stephen W. Schwartz, Michael J. Siegel 6 Kalamazoo College: No Stone Left Unturned 113 Stephen W. Schwartz, Randy L. Swing Part Three: Case Studies of Four-Year Institutions with 2,000 to 5,000 Students 143 7 Drury University: Balancing Intellectual Rigor with Intrusive Personal Support in the First Year 145 Charles C. Schroeder, Randy L. Swing 8 Elon University: Transforming Education Through a Community of Inquiry and Engagement 166 Libby V. Morris, Randy L. Swing 9 West Point and the Plebe-Year Experience: The Long Gray Line 191 Michael J. Siegel, John N. Gardner Part Four: Case Studies of Four-Year Institutions with 5,000 to 10,000 Students 217 10 Lehman College of the City University of New York: Excellence in the Bronx 219 John N. Gardner, Betsy O. Barefoot 11 The First Year at Texas A&M University– Corpus Christi: Starting with a Clean Slate 243 Michael J. Siegel, Marc Cutright Part Five: Case Studies of Four-Year Institutions with 10,000 to 20,000 Students 271 12 Appalachian State University: High Standards for the First Year in North Carolina’s High Country 273 John N. Gardner, Betsy O. Barefoot 13 The Story of Ball State University: “Everything Students Need” 299 Randy L. Swing, Marc Cutright Part Six: Case Studies of Four-Year Institutions with More Than 20,000 Students 323 14 Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis: Success and the City 325 Marc Cutright, Michael J. Siegel 15 University of South Carolina: Creator and Standard-Bearer for the First-Year Experience 349 Libby V. Morris, Marc Cutright Part Seven: Conclusion 377 16 Findings and Recommendations 379 Epilogue: Foundations of Excellence in the First College Year 397 Appendix A: All Participants in the Institutions of Excellence Study (N = 130) 403 Appendix B: Initial Letter of Invitation to Participate in the Institutions of Excellence Project 409 Appendix C: Semifinalists 415 Appendix D: Letter to Semifinalists 419 Appendix E: Announcement Letter to Thirteen Institutions of Excellence 423 Appendix F: Research Subject Information and Consent Form 427 References 431 Index 433