What Works at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs): Nine Strategies for Increasing Retention and Graduation Rateswill have broad appeal within the field of education and beyond. While the primary audience for this book is the faculty, staff, administrators, students, alumni, and campus community of the current 105 HBCUs in the United States, this book is written to appeal to all professionals in the field of higher education, guidance counselors and administrators in P-12 education, sociologists and social scientists, and scholars who study change management, outcomes assessment, and success in any organized structure or system.

Tiffany Beth Mfume is Director, Office of Student Success and Retention, Morgan State University.

AcknowledgmentsPrefaceIntroduction: HBCUs: Legacy and Historical ContextHBCUs: Historical ContextMorgan State University: A Brief HistoryMorgans Office of Student Success and RetentionWho is This Book For?What is This Book About?Chapter 1: Leadership: You Are Only As Good As Your College PresidentThe College Presidency in America: A ProfileHBCU Presidents: The Best of the "Old Guard"HBCU Presidents: The Best of the "New School"Morgan State University: A Tale of Two PresidentsOld Guard vs. New SchoolNavigating Changes in Senior LeadershipNew Leadership = New OpportunitiesThe Future of the HBCU PresidencyChapter 1: Questions& Next StepsReferencesChapter 2: Branding: Understanding What Makes Your University Great& Putting it Out ThereBranding by Mass MediaWhat is Your Brand?Development of a BrandPerception: The HBCU RenaissanceTo Be an HBCU, or Not To Be an HBCU That Is the QuestionLet Data Inform the BrandRe-branding New Student OrientationBrand Cohesion: Alignment with Strategic Goals of the InstitutionPutting it Out There: Communicating the BrandWe Are the Bears!Chapter 2: Questions& Next StepsReferencesChapter 3: Data Mining: Who are your students and what do they need?Who are the students at Morgan State University?Trust the Data, Dont Second-Guess the DataWheres the Data?What is the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA)?What Data Comes from Accuplacer?Use Data to Answer QuestionsData and Strategic Retention GoalsData Driven Decision MakingSo What Do Your Students Need?Write the Data Narrative for Your Own InstitutionChapter 3: Questions& Next StepsReferencesChapter 4: Frontloading: Freshmen, First Impressions, and FoundationsFoundationsFrontloadingSummer Orientation Begin at the BeginningHBCU Orientation: A Cultural Transition ModelGoals& Objectives of Summer OrientationMeasuring Success: Student Orientation Outcomes Benchmark StudyCASA Academy A Model ProgramThe Quest for StrengthsQuestSix Weeks of Math Boot CampFoundations of Excellence® in the First College YearFirst-Year AdvisingTutoring and CollaborationsDont Forget the ParentsCollege GPS: the Freshman Orientation CourseWhat Follows the First YearThe Final Impression of First ImpressionsChapter 4: Questions& Next StepsReferencesChapter 5: Case Management: Systematic Tracking and Monitoring of Students by CohortPredictive AnalyticsWhy Cohorts?Predicting Success at MorganNavigating the Bill Payment ProcessThe Origins of Case Management at MorganTo Drop or not to Drop That is the QuestionEducation on HOLDTracking& MonitoringTransparent Record KeepingFishing for StudentsCase Management: A Proven StrategyA Winning CombinationChapter 5: Questions& Next StepsReferencesChapter 6: Strategic Initiatives: Programs Designed Specifically to Move the DataEmbrace the SystemCommon Academic Support ProgramsAre They Working?The Genesis of Strategic Programming at MSUA Bright Idea is BornThe Reclamation InitiativeThe Results Are In...A Model ProgramOne Step AwayAn Exit StrategyDegree Auditing SoftwareOther Strategic InitiativesThe Genesis of a PhilosophyMoving the DataBecoming and Remaining StrategicChapter 6: Questions& Next StepsReferencesChapter 7: Leveraging External Resources: Getting the Most Out of GrantsGrants Are Worth Much More than MoneyPublic Grants: Funding Thats A Strong FoundationAmeriCorps*VISTA: A Non-Traditional Grant for an HBCUA Game-Changer: The Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation IPAS GrantLumina FoundationBill& Melinda Gates FoundationUnited Negro College Fund (UNCF)Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF)The Kresge FoundationSouthern Education Foundation (SEF)USA FundsInstitute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP)Promote Student Success with GrantsChapter 7: Questions& Next StepsReferencesChapter 8: Technology: Tools and Systems Help Us Work Smarter Not HarderThe Foundation: A Student Information System (SIS)A Smooth Switch to GoogleIPAS: A New AcronymIPAS Benefits and OutcomesTransition and Buy-InChange ManagementA User-Friendly ToolThe Results Are In....Manual Degree AuditingWhy Degree Auditing Software?Google AppsStarfish Retention SolutionsDegree Works by EllucianBlackboardOracleCampus LabsSmarThinkingCivitas LearningHobsonsGradesFirstChapter 8: Questions& Next StepsReferencesChapter 9: Networking: Documenting and Sharing Your Successes and FailuresBeing the Only HBCU to AttendNo Need to Reinvent the WheelGetting the Real Deal from ColleaguesWhy Attend Conferences?The White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and UniversitiesAnnual Regional HBCU Summit on RetentionNational Association of Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA)National Orientation, Transition, and Retention Association (NODA)Ruffalo Noel LevitzAmerican Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)Association of Public and LandGrant Universities (APLU)The College BoardComplete College AmericaThe Education Policy Institute (EPI)NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising (NACADA)Chapter 9: Questions& Next StepsReferencesChapter 10: The HBCU Success RecipeHBCUs and the College Completion AgendaShould HBCUs Just Admit Better Students?Blaming the StudentsOvercoming the Impact of Students Financial HardshipsGeorgia State University: the Success Recipe at WorkWhat Will Work: the Future of Retention, Persistence& Completion at HBCUsChapter 10: Questions& Next StepsReferences